Syriac Union Party Co-Chair Barsoum to North Press Agency: Turkey extorts the Syrian people with their basic needs

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — Turkey and the Tukish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) continue to undermine the stability of North and East Syria by various means.

In its latest attempt to destroy the democratic system being establish across its border, Turkey has restricted the flow of the Euphrates River. For more than three months, Turkey has let through barely a trickle. The water levels are so low, the river is nearly dry at many points and water pumps as far south as Dayro Zcuro (Deir ez-Zor) no longer work.

Turkey’s weaponization of water threatens the lives of the nearly 4 million people living in North and East Syria.

In an interview with North Press Agency, Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Syria Sanharib Barsoum stated that, “Turkey’s cutting off the water of the Euphrates River is another type of terrorism that it uses against Syria.”

The Euphrates River is a vital source of drinking water, irrigation, and electricity for the region. According to Barsoum, Turkey is using it to blackmail Syrians with basic needs in a continuation of the Turkish policy of rejecting peaceful relations based on mutual respect with its neighbors.

The international silence around Turkish violations of international and humanitarian law are a green light “to commit more violations against our peoples and the people of the nearby countries,” he added.

Barsoum called on relevant international bodies to intervene and pressure Turkey to abide by the laws and international agreements concerning water quotas for the countries benefiting from the Euphrates River.

Turkey signed an agreement with Syria in 1987 related to the Euphrates River according to which Syria’s share of the water coming from Turkey is 500 cubic meters per second. While the water supply in the Euphrates River is now limited to less than 200 cubic meters, according to the General Administration of Dams in North and East Syria.