Türki̇ye’s Water Diplomacy: A Robust Framework for Mitigating Disputes Over Transboundary Water Resources in Times of Turmoil

The world faces significant water challenges stemming from mismanagement, inequitable distribution, and the compounded impact of climate change. To complicate the matters further, over half of the global water resources cross political boundaries, leading to international political tensions. Initial concerns of “water wars” have shifted towards diplomatic resolutions in key transboundary water basins. (1)

Water diplomacy includes the methods used to prevent water-based disputes between riparian states from turning into a conflict. Türkiye has always preferred to use diplomacy mechanisms to resolve water disputes with its neighbors. The scope of Türkiye’s water diplomacy has been crafted within the country’s historical and geographic context. (2) Since the early years of the Republic, Türkiye has attained foreign policy achievements by employing diplomacy and international law principles in its transboundary river basins. This approach has resulted in the initiation of negotiations, the signing of treaties, and the establishment of institutions, including temporary or permanent technical committees. For instance, the Joint Technical Committee, formed in 1983 as a trilateral body involving Syria, Iraq, facilitated the exchange of information regarding national water development projects among the three riparian states.

Türkiye’s water diplomacy framework embodies clearly identifiable, well-established formal state institutions. Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs constitutes the central node of the institutional framework of Türkiye’s water diplomacy. In the same vein, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leads the systematic bureaucratic collaboration with waterline ministries and relevant institutions, namely the State Hydraulic Works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. These state institutions, which are generally responsible for the development, management, and the preservation of water resources, have worked closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the formulation of the fundamental principles of water diplomacy.

The concerned state institutions that are responsible for different aspects of water policy and management were diversified in the early 2000s. Thus, the Directorate General of Water Management and the Turkish Water Institute have contributed to water diplomacy discourses and practices under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The organizational framework within public agencies, when developed with the strategic political and economic dynamics of transboundary water basins in mind, can facilitate Türkiye's active involvement in shaping its transboundary water policy. Such a framework would enrich the development of water policy, especially when complemented by efficient coordination between institutions. Furthermore, it is crucial to create opportunities that welcome contributions from the scientific community, academic circles, think tanks, and civil society organizations in crafting these water policies. As water policies are swiftly advancing at both the global and regional levels, across political and legal arenas, Türkiye must establish its policies through meaningful and robust engagement with all relevant stakeholders to remain at the forefront of these changes. Additionally, leveraging national and international media as effective platforms is vital for the promotion and dissemination of transboundary water policies to the general public.

The status of Türkiye's political and economic relations with its neighbors and other regional countries has formed the essential framework that determines the principles of water diplomacy. The coherence and directness of water diplomacy principles make it possible to discern why Türkiye has behaved a certain way in a specific transboundary setting, and also enable one to predict how Türkiye might behave in transboundary relations in the future. Türkiye’s fundamental foreign policy principles with respect to transboundary waters have been shaped by the physical and human geography, and influenced by global, regional, and bilateral political, economic, and social interactions. When reviewing the fundamental principles of Turkish foreign policy, one can observe the major influence of the core norms of customary international water law which include the obligations of "equitable use," the right not to cause "significant harm," "transboundary cooperation," and "regular sharing of hydrological and other relevant data and information." These principles provide useful references for fostering cooperation in transboundary water basins where disputes exist, and must be operationalized through treaties encompassing transboundary river basins, which include rules that spell out the mutual rights and obligations of the countries involved.

Climate change introduces a multitude of risks and uncertainties to water resource planning and management at both the national and international levels. This challenge is especially pronounced in arid and semi-arid regions across the globe, where establishing robust and fair institutional and legal structures for water management is therefore vital to addressing growing demands against the backdrop of limited or diminishing resources. Additionally, the complexities intensify for transboundary water resources, where it is imperative to factor in the unpredictable risks and impacts of climate change during negotiations between states on water use and distribution. In water diplomacy, Türkiye and its neighboring nations must give precedence to the impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events, as well as the socio-economic consequences that ensue. Together with other relevant factors, these factors should be considered critical in determining the allocation of water resources.