Mehmet Altingoz

Environmental Engineer
Türkiye’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Turkey

Jun 10, 2025

Mehmet Altingoz is an environmental engineer and water policy expert dedicated to fostering cooperation over shared waters in regions of conflict. Having served in the Water Policy and Law Branch of Türkiye’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry since 2022, his work builds upon a unique academic journey blending scientific rigor with policy analysis.

Mehmet’s path began with an environmental engineering degree in Türkiye, followed by postgraduate studies in the United States funded by scholarships and assistantships. His master’s degree in water resources policy and management at Oregon State University (2017), under the guidance of renowned scholar Aaron Wolf, focused on a critical puzzle: how “sovereignty-seeking nations” like Abkhazia, Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, Palestine, South Ossetia, and Western Sahara manage de facto transboundary water in the absence of formal state recognition. His research aimed to extract lessons for the conflict-affected Tigris and Euphrates basin. Contrary to expectations, he discovered a surprising prevalence of cooperation over conflict in these stateless contexts, challenging conventional narratives about water wars.

A pivotal moment during his master's was contributing to a World Bank project on the Kura-Aras Basin. Investigating the jointly operated Arpaçay Dam on the Armenia-Türkiye border, he uncovered an enduring “friendship dam” mechanism. Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, Armenian and Turkish technical engineers from state water agencies met monthly, alternating locations, to collaboratively manage the dam for irrigation, communicating regularly and effectively. This cooperation, originating from Soviet-era “soft diplomacy” initiatives designed to build neighborly relations, inspired Mehmet and solidified his research focus on water cooperation amidst conflict.

Driven by this inspiration, Mehmet pursued a PhD in Water Science and Policy at the University of Delaware (2017-2022) under the guidance of distinguished scholar Professor Saleem H. Ali. His doctoral research delved deeper into this paradox, examining three cases: the cooperative environmental management of the conflict-prone Black Sea; the breakdown of Russia-Ukraine water cooperation following the annexation of Crimea (a negative case highlighting a “breaking point”); and the enduring positive example of the Arpaçay Dam. This work, alongside other projects, resulted in multiple journal articles, reports, and book chapters.

Returning to Türkiye in 2022, Mehmet joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. His current role involves practical transboundary water management on Türkiye's transboundary basins. He represents Türkiye internationally, including as part of the delegation to the 2023 UN Water Conference in New York. Alongside his governmental duties, he continues research and shares insights at international forums.

Mehmet’s journey presented significant challenges, including overcoming language barriers, combining an engineering and a policy mindset, and the difficulties of data collection in sensitive conflict zones where interviewees were often reluctant, and travel was restricted. Yet, the rewards have been substantial: the thrill of discovering unexpected cooperation, seeing his work cited, being invited to share findings globally, and knowing his research addresses real-world needs for peace and water security.

For Mehmet, environmental peacebuilding means leveraging shared environmental resources – such as rivers, wetlands, and forests – as catalysts to improve strained relations between communities or nations. He believes cooperation over these vital resources is essential not only for peace but also for enhancing efficiency in the face of climate change and growing water issues. His motivation to join the Environmental Peacebuilding Association stemmed from early mentorship and collaboration with key figures in the field (like Ken Conca and Carl Bruch) and a strong belief in its mission. He is eager to enhance promotion of the field’s research outputs. He advises aspiring scholars to embrace interdisciplinarity, focus deeply on quality research rather than quantity, welcome constructive criticism, and carefully consider both the positive and negative impacts of environmental peacebuilding initiatives.