By NNN-KUNA,
Baghdad : Iraq has requested that neighboring Turkey allows a higher flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which rise in eastern Anatolia, saying it is facing severe drought this year.
The Iraqi government said in a statement Tuesday that Minister of Water Resources Abdullatif Jamal Rashid visited Turkey and Syria to discuss the problem facing Iraq this coming year.
“We are faced with a drought that has turned out to be more severe than expected. Therefore, we are asking for more water to ease our problem,” he said.
Rashid said he would discuss the issue with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he meets with him Tuesday.
Rashid said he was also bringing Erdogan a message from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Malki, adding that Iraq wanted to establish a high-level committee, to be chaired by Al-Maliki and Erdogan, to discuss issues of common concern.
The minister will then head to Syria to meet officials there to discuss the possibility of increasing water flow level from the Euphrates, to fulfil agricultural needs in Iraq for this season.