President Erdoğan: There is essentially no difference between preserving our water and protecting our homeland

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the launch of the 1st Water Forum and mass opening ceremony of 363 facilities at Beştepe Nation’s Convention and Culture Center in Ankara.

“Water is a crucial blessing for humanity along with all living beings. Water is an irreplaceable element not only for our lives but also for our economic development and growth. In order to sustainably meet our need, it is of utmost importance that we use the existing resources in the most efficient way and prevent waste. We see that the need for water continues to increase due to such reasons as rapid population growth, climate change and drought. While the need for water rises, the water resources at humanity’s disposal continue to decrease day by day. This contraction leads to drought, poverty and famine. Also due to water scarcity, the ecological balance deteriorates, biological diversity declines and humanity’s food security becomes jeopardized. This perilous picture leads to various problems ranging from social turbulences to irregular migration, from famine to international tensions,” President Erdoğan said.

“The rising demand for food and energy along with population and the destructive effects of climate change indicate that greater risks await us in the future,” President Erdoğan noted.

Underscoring that despite the widespread misperception, Turkey was not a water rich country, President Erdoğan said: “On the contrary, given the amount of water per capita, we are a water stressed country.” Drawing attention to Turkey’s sharing its limited water resources with its neighbors such as Iraq and Syria, President Erdoğan said: “We have always displayed the necessary sensitivity about meeting our neighbors’ need for water. We have never turned the water issue into an instrument of threat or negotiation in our bilateral relations.”

“WE SHOULD RENEW AND IMPROVE OUR AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS”

President Erdoğan continued his speech as follows: “There is essentially no difference between preserving our water and protecting our homeland. To that end, we have such responsibilities as renewing and improving our agricultural irrigation systems.”