National Conference at LUMSA University: The Water Question in the Middle East

Ludovica Saccone e Isabella De Baptistis - April 11, 2024

On Thursday, April 11, the two Research Fellows of Ab Aqua, Dr. Ludovica Saccone and Dr. Isabella de Baptistis, presented a lecture at LUMSA University entitled “The water issue in the Middle East: Turkey’s water diplomacy and hydro-strategic tensions for the Tigris and Euphrates”.

The first contribution, presented by Dr. Ludovica Saccone, aimed to present in the classroom the current hydro-strategic situation of the Middle East, with a particular focus on Israel and Jordan. In fact, while on the one hand the first country has become a world leader in the management of water resources, thus managing to overcome its water scarcity condition thanks to the production of 20% more drinking water than necessary, on the other hand Jordan has only recently started to invest in this aspect with the aim of becoming self-sufficient.

The second contribution, written by Dr. Isabella De Baptistis, instead aimed to shed light on the leading role of Turkey in hydro-strategic policies and their impact on neighboring countries, Syria and Iraq. In fact, Turkey's large water projects affect relations with neighboring Arab states, Syria and Iraq, which suffer from a reduction in water flow due to Turkey's hydraulic infrastructure, which alters the regular course of the trans-border rivers Tigris and Euphrates.

Below are some images of the event.