Ranging from energy and water to strategic areas, the two neighboring countries of Iran and Iraq have begun a new are of multidimensional cooperation.
As neighboring countries, Iran and Iraq are currently moving in the path of multidimensional cooperation, ranging from energy and water to strategic areas. On this Friday, Ahmad Musa al-Ebadi, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said that Iran has expressed its readiness to increase the volume of its gas exports to Iraq.
The new phase of energy cooperation between Tehran and Bagdad was indeed the result of the visit by a delegation from Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity to Iran that happened in early June.
Despite its large oil and gas reserves, Iraq needs 55 million to 60 million cubic meters of gas annually and relies heavily on Iran for natural gas that generates as much as 45% of its 14,000 MW of electricity consumed daily in the Arab country. Overall, the Islamic Republic exports nearly 45 million cubic meters of gas to Iraq through two pipelines to Iraqi power plants in Basra, Samawa, Nasiriyah and Diyala. Al-Ebadi also expressed hope that gas imports from Iran would continue to increase the generation of electricity in his country.
But Iran-Iraq cooperation is not limited to energy domain only. In an interview with Al Forat news agency this Friday, Iraq’s minister of water resources Aoun Diab said that his country is seeking joint projects with Iran, including construction of dam on Arvand River, to address the water-related problems
Criticizing Turkey and its policies as the main cause of water shortage in Iraq, Diab said that Turkey has the key and major role in supplying most of Iraq’s water resources, especially in the Euphrates by 90 percent. However, by following a policy of building dams to preserve its water recourses, Ankara has decreased the share of water in Iraq and Iran from cross-border rivers.
For years, water-related tensions between Iraq and Iran had caused the severance of interaction between the energy ministries of the two countries. Diab’s remarks this Friday, however, showed that the two neighbors are now decided to work together to launch joint projects to address the water shortage problem after a series of negotiations.
“Iraq is ready to cooperate with all countries in the region to solve the water shortage problem, and Iran has accepted the idea of construction of a dam on Ras al-Bisheh area of Arvand River,” Diab noted.
Iran-Iraq relations, beyond energy and water
In the new phase of bilateral relations, Iran and Iraq have moved beyond cooperation in the fields of energy and water. During his trip to Iraq last week, Kamal Kharrazi, the chief of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, held separate talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, to talk about deepening cooperations at more important levels, according to Strategic Council Online.
In the meetings that took place in Iraqi city of Basra, the two sides exchanged views and discussed “strategic cooperation” between the two countries, especially at regional level.
Kharrazi, Iran’s former foreign minister from 1997 to 2005, said that “the success of the new Iraqi government in establishing stability and peace in the country is worthy of appreciation”, and that “Iran considers the progress and development of Iraq as its own”.
Proposing that Iran and Iraq can take effective steps to develop their ties and also help stabilize and develop the entire region, Kharazi also said the experiences of the two countries are complementary in line with achieving these strategic goals.
Appreciating Iran’s helps for fighting ISIS alongside with Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani welcomed an increase in strategic dialogue between Iran and Iraq and considering it as necessary. For his part, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also welcomed Kharazi and emphasized that Iraq is ready to help reduce tension in the region and expand regional cooperation with Iran.
