Syria, Iraq push to revive three-way water commission with Turkey on Tigris-Euphrates

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria's Deputy Energy Minister Essam Abu Zaid said work is under way to reactivate a three-way technical commission that includes Turkey to manage shared water cooperation with Iraq, particularly along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. He said a recent Syrian delegation visit to Iraq examined the experience of institutions including the General Commission for Dams and Reservoirs and the National Center for Water Resources. Abu Zaid said Syria and Iraq face shared challenges from declining river levels and deteriorating water quality, including during a technical visit to the Haditha Dam in Anbar province. He noted that a February 1989 agreement still governs the division of water arriving from Turkey, allocating 58 percent to Iraq and 42 percent to Syria at a rate of 500 cubic meters per second. The deputy minister said flows during drought periods regularly fall below the agreed levels, lowering river levels and harming water quality in both countries. He described the trilateral technical commission as a platform for improving water allocations and quality, adding that Syria hopes joint work will produce lasting solutions. No further details on the commission's next meetings were immediately available.