Pierre Berthelot: Solar energy for water desalination
Pierre Berthelot, a researcher at
the European Institute for Orientalism and Security and an advisor at the
Mediterranean Studies Institute, said there are a number of tensions between Syria
and other neighboring countries over water.
Berthelot
told a seminar held by the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris (CEMO),
headed by Egyptian MP Dr. Abdel Rahim Ali, that Turkey
is trading water with Iraqi Kurdistan.
“There were problems with water
desalination, and the cost was high too. However, the cost has fallen and the
solar energy can be easily used. There are companies that draw on the solar
energy in Morocco, for instance,” he told the seminar, which focuses on
cooperation between Europe and non-European Mediterranean states, including
Egypt, in the fight against terrorism; illegal immigration; education, and
water.
The seminar is held on the sidelines
of the Two Mediterranean Banks summit which is held in Marseilles on June 23
and 24.
CEMO takes the opportunity of the
summit to open discussion on the issues that cause problems between countries
on the two banks of the Mediterranean.
Apart from the Arab-Israeli
conflict, which stands behind most of the violence in our world today, the Arab
Spring came to wreak disaster on the world and widen the scope of problems in
it.
