Baghdad and Ankara have turned a new page in their often fraught relationship, sealing a landmark water agreement and pledging deeper cooperation on security and economic matters. On November 3, 2025, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan signed a comprehensive deal in Baghdad to jointly manage water resources and address Iraq’s intensifying drought, a crisis that has left the country’s water reserves at historic lows and strained relations between the neighbors for years.
The agreement, signed under the oversight of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, comes after months of diplomatic deadlock. According to The National, Fidan’s visit to Baghdad—following Hussein’s trip to Ankara three weeks prior—symbolized a breakthrough in bilateral talks that had long been hampered by disputes over water, security, and trade. The new framework, described as the “first of its kind” by Fidan, opens the door for joint infrastructure projects, sustainable water management, and a raft of economic initiatives.
“The water crisis is a global crisis, and Iraq is one of the countries most affected,” Prime Minister Sudani said at the signing ceremony. “This agreement will be one of the sustainable solutions to Iraq’s water challenges and will strengthen ties with Turkey in several sectors.”
Iraq’s vulnerability is stark: more than 70 percent of its water flows from neighboring countries, with Turkey alone supplying half, Iran 15 percent, and Syria 5 percent, as reported by the Ministry of Water Resources. Years of reduced flows from upstream Turkish dams—estimated by environmental groups to hold about 80 billion cubic meters of water—have left Iraq’s national water storage below six percent, the lowest in decades. The result has been severe rationing, increased saltwater intrusion in the Shatt al-Arab, and mounting pollution in southern provinces like Basra, Maysan, and Dhi Qar.
Environmental advocates, including the Green Iraq Observatory, have repeatedly warned that Turkey’s extensive dam network along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is squeezing Iraq’s lifeline. With around 90 percent of Iraq’s water originating in Turkey, the power dynamic has left Baghdad with little leverage—until now. The new agreement, officials say, aims to rehabilitate Iraq’s water and irrigation infrastructure, with Turkish companies set to play a key role in implementation. Funding for these projects will come from Iraq’s oil revenues, a mechanism formalized in a document signed in the presence of Prime Minister Sudani.
“Iraq’s visionary approach is reflected in this initiative,” Fidan declared, calling the deal potentially the largest infrastructure investment in Iraq’s history. Both sides have described the agreement as a long-term commitment to restore and sustain Iraq’s water systems for future generations, a sentiment echoed by Hussein, who said, “We support the PKK-Turkey agreement and look forward to the resolution of this issue.”
But water is only part of the story. The summit also addressed one of the thorniest issues in the region: the future of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey regards the PKK as a terrorist organization, and its fighters, long entrenched in northern Iraq, have been a persistent source of friction. On November 3, 2025, Foreign Minister Hussein called on PKK members who recently withdrew from southern Turkey to northern Iraq to disarm and engage in dialogue with Ankara. “We support the PKK-Turkey agreement and look forward to the resolution of this issue,” Hussein said during a joint press conference with Fidan, noting that armed PKK elements remain in Sinjar and Makhmur districts.
The timing is significant. Following a February 2025 statement from imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan urging the group to disband, the PKK announced in May its intention to end its armed struggle and dissolve. A symbolic disarmament ceremony took place in northern Iraq in July, but, as Al Jazeera reports, fighters remain in the Sinjar and Makhmur areas. Fidan made clear that Turkey expects a full withdrawal of PKK forces not only from Iraq but also from positions in Iran and Syria. “Ankara will continue working closely with both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government to achieve regional stability,” Fidan said.
The security talks were complemented by broader discussions on economic cooperation and regional connectivity. The two ministers signed 26 memorandums of understanding, covering sectors from energy and trade to security. Notably, they addressed the resumption of oil exports—vital for Iraq’s economy—and the expansion of collaboration in natural gas and electricity. Another milestone: the planned resumption of flights between Iraq and Turkey, including services to Sulaymaniyah International Airport, which have been suspended for more than two years.
Fidan emphasized the importance of regional self-reliance, insisting that Middle Eastern nations must resolve their challenges without “waiting for saviours from outside.” He reaffirmed Turkey’s full support for Iraq’s stability and development, adding that with sound strategies, the region has the capacity to become a “land of prosperity and stability.”
For Iraq, the stakes could hardly be higher. Continuous summer heatwaves—temperatures often soaring above 50°C—have made the country’s vulnerability to climate change impossible to ignore. Reduced river flows have not only crippled agriculture and drinking water supplies but also intensified environmental degradation in the country’s south, as highlighted by Khaled Shamal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Water Resources.
While the agreement does not specify exact water allocations, officials say its focus on sustainable management and infrastructure development marks a critical shift from past deadlocks. As analysts note, water has become a key tool in Ankara’s strategic leverage over Iraq, often linked to broader disputes over PKK militants, Kurdish oil exports, and regional transit arrangements. The breakthrough, then, is both technical and political—a compromise balancing Iraq’s urgent need for water with Turkey’s interests in security and trade.
Despite the optimism, challenges remain. Armed PKK elements are still present in Sinjar and Makhmur, and the question of their full disarmament and withdrawal is far from settled. The success of the water agreement, too, will depend on sustained political will and practical implementation—no small feat in a region where past accords have often faltered amid shifting alliances and mutual suspicions.
Yet for now, Baghdad and Ankara have sent a clear signal: cooperation, not confrontation, is the path forward. As Fidan put it, “With visionary leadership and joint action, the region can become a land of prosperity and stability.” For millions of Iraqis facing drought, pollution, and economic uncertainty, the hope is that this time, the promises will hold.
