Deputy Speaker: Iraq Still Needs the Support of Friendly Countries to Address the Water Issue and Its Dangerous Repercussions
Baghdad/NINA/- Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Shakhwan Abdullah, who heads the Iraqi delegation at the General Conference of the Asian–African Parliamentary Assembly, affirmed that Iraq has gone through difficult experiences and major challenges over past decades, ranging from fierce confrontations with terrorism and extremism to the current stage of political and economic reconstruction and the restoration of its natural role regionally and internationally.
In his speech at the conference, Abdullah said that despite all security challenges, Iraq has remained committed to the principles of sovereignty, dialogue, pluralism, and coexistence. He stressed the country’s need for the support of friendly nations to address the critical issue of water scarcity, caused by upstream countries, and to secure Iraq’s fair water share in accordance with treaties and agreements, away from political or regional pressures.
Abdullah noted that the parliamentary council should go beyond a coordinating framework to become an active platform for unifying parliamentary positions on vital issues, foremost among them the Palestinian cause and the siege on Gaza, which is facing famine and a humanitarian catastrophe. He urged the international community to intervene immediately and pressure the “Zionist entity” to lift the blockade and allow urgent humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
He further emphasized the Iraqi Parliament’s genuine desire to strengthen partnerships with Asian and African parliaments by exchanging legislative expertise and enhancing laws that affect people’s daily lives, while working to improve services and infrastructure in line with available resources and human potential, and to advance sustainable development strategies.
Abdullah also highlighted the importance of collective parliamentary action in confronting challenges, as well as expanding the role of parliaments in supporting economic policies through legislation and the ratification of international agreements, to boost free trade between the two continents, encourage investment, and ensure sustainable economic growth. /End
