A lightning visit by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to the Turkish capital of Ankara in late August served to strengthen the two countries’ deepening economic relationship. According to a report in Milliyet, the visit resulted in Israeli firms’ securing eight irrigation projects in the southeast Anatolia region, with a total value of about $1 billion.
The eight projects, which will be managed by Turkey’s State Water Works [DSI], include: the Lower Euphrates second stage, the Mardin-Ceyranpinar irrigation project, the second part of Mardin-Ceylanpinar project within the scope of the Lower Euphrates second stage, the third part of the Mardin-Ceylanpinar irrigation project, the Samsat irrigation project within the scope of the Adiyaman-Kahta irrigation project, the second stage of the Kralkizi-Tigris irrigation project, the fourth stage of the Tigris irrigation project, and the second part of the Kralkizi-Tigris gravity water irrigation system within the scope of the first stage of the Kralkizi-Tigris irrigation project.
According to the agreement between the Israeli and Turkish governments, the projects will be offered to Israeli companies without having to put out any tenders. However, agreements on the work contracts will require the approval of Turkey’s Council of Ministers.
According to the Israeli ministry of industry and trade, the Israeli firms that will be involved in the Turkish irrigation projects are Astrom, Merhav, Solel Boneh, Tahal Consulting, and Ben Yarar. They will be responsible for establishing the necessary funding, for which they will be assisted by Israeli government guarantees. The Israeli companies will also supply all the equipment and machinery required.
The Israeli firms will most probably be assisted by Turkish companies. This is a result of Barak’s reportedly okaying a Turkish government request to that effect during his recent visit to Ankara.
When it comes to joint water projects, the Israeli-Turkish relationship flows two ways. Talks currently are underway about Israel’s importing of Turkish water from the Manavgat river, although the two sides have yet to reach agreement over price. Ankara’s original offer was $0.23 per cubic meter, but the Israeli side argued that this would make the Turkish water more expensive than desalinated sea water, if the costs of transportation, storage and other infrastructural investments were added in.
According to a report in Israel’s Haaretz daily, the Turks are considering lowering their offer to $0.08-0.12 per cubic meter.
Israel’s search for alternative sources of water has become critical. In early September, Shimon Tal, chairman of the country’s water commission announced that Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel’s largest fresh water source, has declined to the lowest level ever recorded. Furthermore, Mekorot, the national water distribution company, has estimated that 45 million cubic meters of water would have to be imported from Turkey next year if rainfall levels in the winter are lower than expected.
Indeed it is becoming ever more obvious that Turkey’s abundant water resources will provide it with a strategic tool that could prove critical in this generally arid region of the world. For not only will it generate income from a natural asset that previously produced almost nothing—at present most of the Manavgat river’s water flows unused into the sea—but it will mean that, in effect, Turkey will become an essential supplier to three and not only one of the countries to its south. According to the agreement, Israel is obliged to supply water to both Jordan and Palestine.
Two other countries that will be less than satisfied with Turkey’s new found good fortune are Iraq and Syria, who have long that Turkey is obliged to divert to them half of the waters flowing through the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
The strategic importance of Turkey’s will be further underscored by a visit next week to the State Water Works water-pumping facilities on the Manavgat river by General Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli army’s chief of staff. The visit comes about as the result of a request by Mofaz himself.
Water, though, is not the primary reason for the Israeli general’s trip to Turkey. Turkey earlier had signed a protocol with Israel Aircraft Industries regarding the construction of a military satellite. However, Turkey recently approached the French firm Alcatel, also to discuss the issue. The main purpose of Mofaz’s visit, therefore, is to attempt to clarify whether the change in the Turkish attitude in the satellite bid can be seen as a shift in the strategic military relationship between Israel and Turkey. — (Albawaba-MEBG)
