Arab League chief urges neighboring countries to prioritize common water interests

Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmad Abul Gheit urged Sunday neighboring countries to consider common interests when dealing with water issues, especially since 80 percent of water in Arab territories comes from outside their borders. Abul Gheit underlined at the fourth Baghdad International Water Conference (IWC) the need for neighboring countries, namely Turkey and Iran, which are neighbors of Iraq and Syria, and Ethiopia, which is neighboring Egypt and Sudan, to adopt a new approach to water management based on shared interests rather than zero-sum equations Existing water resources can be utilized for the benefit of all people and facilitate national development, provided that cooperation and mutual understanding replace competition and resource monopolization, he mentioned. He viewed the water issue in Arab countries is not just as a technical and developmental matter but as an existential one, linked to national security and survival challenges, underscoring the need for involvement across all s ectors at the national scale and continuous regional cooperation and coordination. Abul Gheit pointed out that the water situation in Iraq continues to face increasing pressure, not because of ineffective achievements or weak efforts, but due to various other factors, such as reduced availability of Tigris and Euphrates waters, extended periods of droughts, population growth, and the impacts of climate change. The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources hosted the Baghdad IWC with representatives from several countries, aiming to enhance cooperation with upstream nations on water issues. Source: Kuwait News Agency