On Wednesday, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States jointly called for the completion of demarcation for the maritime borders between Kuwait and Iraq.
Previously, the Federal Supreme Court in Iraq had declared the unconstitutionality of the navigation agreement governing the Khawr Abd Allah waterway shared by the two nations. The court mentioned that the law, under which the agreement was ratified, necessitated the approval of two-thirds of the parliamentary members.
This agreement was reached in 2012, with both countries ratifying it in their respective legislative councils by 2013.
This joint statement comes after a meeting between the foreign ministers of the GCC states, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and GCC Secretary-General Jassem Al-Badiwi in New York.
The statement conveyed that the ministers: “urged the completion of the Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime border demarcation and also called upon the Iraqi government to promptly settle the internal legal status to ensure the continued application of the 2012 maritime navigation agreement in the Khawr Abd Allah between Kuwait and Iraq.”
Furthermore, the statement emphasized: “They also urged Iraq and the United Nations to exert utmost efforts to find a solution for all issues related to this matter.”
Highlighting other matters between the two countries, the ministers reiterated their support for the Security Council Resolution 2107 (2013) regarding the return of all Kuwaitis, including missing ones, and the repatriation of Kuwaiti properties, including the national archives, to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
It is worth noting that the land borders between the two countries were demarcated by the United Nations in 1993, following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. However, the entire length of their maritime borders remained undelineated, leaving the matter for resolution by the two oil-producing nations.
