Baghdad-Sana
The work of the first Baghdad International Water Conference was launched in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, with the participation of a Syrian delegation headed by the Minister of Water Resources, Dr. Tamam Raad.
In a speech during the opening of the conference, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi called on his behalf by the Iraqi Minister of Planning Khaled Battal Al-Najm to work in order to transform challenges into opportunities that contribute to preserving water and its sustainability to preserve the rights of future generations.
Al-Kazemi called for working to achieve fairness and equality in the distribution of water.
In a statement to SANA's correspondent in Baghdad, Dr. Raad expressed his hope that the visit of the Syrian delegation to Baghdad and its participation in the conference at the invitation of his Iraqi counterpart, Dr. Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani, would be a step on the road to strengthening cooperation, friendship and brotherhood between the two brotherly countries.
"The two sides will discuss the water file of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, especially that the concerns are the same, given the similar circumstances, whether for agriculture or for the climate," Raad said, expressing his hope for positive and good results for the two countries.
On its first day, the conference discussed several axes that included strategic planning, integrated management of water resources, water and food security at the internal and external levels, challenges of climate impact, regional and international cooperation to reduce water shortage and the impact of terrorist acts on the water system, ways to avoid its risks and reduce the impact of natural disasters.
In turn, Aoun Diab, advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, said, "The conference discusses a set of global research, studies and experiences regarding water resources, with a focus on cooperation in the field of common rivers between Iraq and the neighboring countries."
For his part, spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, Ali Radi, said that the conference aims to “overcome the future challenges facing the sustainability of water provision in line with national requirements and the international mobilization of Iraq’s position for shared water with neighboring countries and to benefit from scientific expertise to develop water resources and develop infrastructure. Which suffered deterioration due to the terrorist organization (ISIS) during the last period. ”
The visit of the Minister of Water Resources to Baghdad will last for three days, where he and his accompanying delegation were received at Baghdad International Airport by Minister Al-Hamdani, the Syrian ambassador to Baghdad, Satam Jadaan Al-Dandah, and a number of officials in the Iraqi ministries of water and foreign resources.