Iran and Turkey have agreed on setting up a permanent committee to explore and settle issues related to Aras River, a transboundary water resource that starts in Turkey and flows through Iran before it empties into the Kura River in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian made the statement during a visit to his Turkish counterpart, Fatih Donmez, in Ankara on Thursday, the Energy Ministry’s news portal reported.
Emphasizing the importance of regular meetings for exchanging views on shared water resources, Mehrabian noted that the two sides agreed to hold their first gathering to discuss legal and technical issues in January 2023.
“Settling conflicts concerning cross-border resources with Turkey is feasible through diplomatic channels,” he said.
“Pursuing robust water diplomacy is the best approach to help Iran assess ways and come up with effective and sustainable solutions for the joint management of transboundary water resources with neighboring nations, including Turkey.”
The strategy can also help promote regional cooperation, in addition to tapping into joint water resources peacefully. The diplomatic instrument is expected to develop reasonable and peaceful solutions to water-related concerns while promoting collaboration among riparian stakeholders such as Iran and Turkey.
Turkey’s ambitious plans to build dams on shared water resources have aggravated water crisis not only in Iran but also in Iraq and Syria.
Turkish officials insist that they are building mega structures in mountainous areas to collect water for power generation.
Nonetheless, such projects have substantially reduced the inflow of water into Iran from rivers originating in Turkey over the past decade due to the neighbor’s dam-building schemes.
Abundant Resources
Turkey is using its access to abundant water resources as a weapon to achieve its political goals, Reza Hajkarim, a member of Iran Water Industry Federation, a privately-owned organization, said.
Regular meetings can help address issues related to transboundary water resources, such as Sarisou, Aras and Qarasou rivers more effectively, he added.
Such negotiations have already helped Iran settle water issues with Iraq over Zab River along the western borders and if Iranian officials are persistent, the same approach will guarantee Iran’s fair share from shared resources with other neighbors, including Turkey.
“I have negotiated with my Turkish counterpart at least three times over the past eight months – in two meetings in New York and Tehran, and during a telephone conversation - to rethink the construction of dams on the Aras River,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
The Foreign Ministry does not approve of Turkey’s dam construction on the border water resources and believes that such moves are unacceptable and both MPs and the government should join hands to deal with the issue and secure Iran’s national interests, he added.
Amir-Abdollahian noted that all legal and political measures have been taken in this regard between Tehran and Ankara, and hopefully the problem will be solved through diplomatic channels.
Iran’s Department of Environment has already warned that Turkey’s move to build Ilisu Dam over Tigris River will pose a serious environmental threat to Iraq and eventually Iran by reducing the inflow of Tigris water to Iraqi territory by 50%.
Over the past half century, Turkey has built 22 dams and 19 hydropower plants on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as part of its multibillion dollar Southeast Anatolia Project that has caused severe drought in large parts of Syria and Iraq.
