Environment and foresty minister: "Water war is no longer a possibility in Turkey's region"

Contrary to predictions by some international analysts that a war over water resources will inevitably erupt in the Middle East, Turkey sees no such possibility in light of recent developments, according to Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu. Turkey has for many years faced water-related problems with its neighbors. The Iraqi and Syrian governments have in the past criticized Turkey for failing to release sufficient water from its dams. Turkey's construction of dams on the Tigris and Euphrates (Dicle and Firat) rivers was the major bone of contention at the time. However, Turkey's policy of "zero problems with neighbors" has culminated in strong cooperation between the three countries for the past few years. Recent agreements between Turkey and its two southern neighbors discredit the thesis of a clash over water, Eroglu told reporters following the recent opening of five new dams in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa. Eroglu charged that some Western governments tried to mislead Arab countries in the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria, claiming that although it has vast resources Turkey doesn't release water to the region. On the recent United Nations Forestry Forum in New York, which concluded on Feb. 4, Eroglu said the UN accepted Turkey's proposal to hold the next forum in Istanbul, the first time it will be held outside New York. On opening the environment chapter in Turkey's European Union accession talks and Ankara's 2009 ratification of the Kyoto protocol, Eroglu said these developments will strengthen Turkey's hand on the global stage while raising the country's environmental standards.