Today, Monday, the twenty-eighth of August, the newspapers issued in Baghdad followed the most important files discussed by the Turkish Foreign Minister in Baghdad, and the improvement of the Tigris River releases, while the difficult situation remains in the Euphrates River.
Al-Zawraa newspaper, which is published by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, followed the discussions of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad and the most important files it dealt with.
"The visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister comes within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries that need more talks in all fields, including securing the border strip of the two countries, which was within the framework of in-depth discussion," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, in an interview with the newspaper. The agreement to form a supreme strategic committee under the supervision of the Iraqi and Turkish foreign ministers, through which the course of dialogues will be followed up in all the common sectors of the two countries.
He added, "The development road project was discussed with the Turkish Foreign Minister, who expressed his support for and participation in this project."
He continued, "The Turkish Foreign Minister affirmed his country's support for the government of Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani and the policy it pursues within its current programme," noting that there are ongoing rounds of negotiation on oil and energy files.
Al-Zawraa quoted the political analyst, Tariq Al-Zubaidi, as saying: "The visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is linked to previous visits and paves the way for future and expected visits by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan."
He described this visit as important in terms of the topics and the nature of the files that were discussed, some of which are political in nature and others are economic and security, especially with regard to the border strip.
Al-Zubaidi added, "Turkey is hinting at the possibility of resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan region through the port of Ceyhan in return for the Iraqi government's approval to increase military operations against the PKK in northern Iraq."
Al-Sabah newspaper, published by the Iraqi Media Network, talked about the imminent signing with Turkey on the "development road" project, quoting the Prime Minister's advisor for transportation affairs, Nasser Al-Asadi.
Al-Asadi said, according to the newspaper: "It is hoped that Iraq and Turkey will soon sign projects related to the development road, which include a land line project and a railway linking the Gulf to the Turkish border, which is relied upon to become a basic transport line for goods between the Middle East and Europe."
As Al-Sabah quoted the researcher in economic affairs, Ali Daadush, as saying: "It is necessary that all designs be in accordance with the reality of the environment, lands, and global roads that are compatible with Iraq."
He added, "We should refer to the basic maps in the Ministry of Municipalities, Construction and Housing and update them as well, as they were drawn up by experts and specialists who worked on studying the Iraqi land completely, and therefore these maps must be updated according to the latest developments in roads and transportation."
He added, "Turkish positivity should be invested in dealing with the (development road) and work to conclude agreements in various aspects and give priority to the issue of water in the country, as well as attracting Turkish investments and exchanging experiences for long-term cooperation."
In a related matter, Al-Zaman newspaper followed the increase of Tigris water releases and the difficulty of the water situation in the Euphrates River.
In this regard, it referred to the words of the Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Diab: "The recent visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Iraq stopped to discuss and deliberate on the water file, which is the most important."
He added: "There is an increase in the release rates of the Tigris River, as it has achieved an acceptable increase in water during the past few years," noting: "The releases of the Mosul Dam have doubled from what they were in the past, which prompted the ministry to provide most areas with additional water."
The minister explained: "The current releases of the Tigris River amounted to 500 cubic meters per second," but at the same time he revealed the difficulty of the water situation in the Euphrates, indicating: "There are efforts by the ministry within the framework of overcoming the crisis, including the installation of a large pumping station on Tharthar Lake, to benefit from the available storage in the lake to strengthen the river.”
Al-Zaman continued: "Maysan witnessed an improvement in the rates of immersion and water releases in Al-Salam Marshes."
It quoted a statement by the Maysan environment: “Shataniyeh marshes, including the western marshes in Al-Salam sub-district, witnessed a development in the rates of water releases that contributed to the return of fish farming and biodiversity.”/ End
Source: National Iraqi News Agency