GCC backs Kuwait in its maritime dispute with Iraq

Ministerial Council also asserts Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's sole right to Al Durra gas field, part of which is claimed by Iran

The GCC Ministerial Council called on Iraq to 'respect the sovereignty of the state of Kuwait'. AFP

Gulf states have rallied behind Kuwait in its maritime border dispute with Iraq, issuing a call for Baghdad to honour international agreements and UN resolutions that followed the 1990 invasion.

In an exceptional meeting on Tuesday in Kuwait, the GCC Ministerial Council stressed the necessity for Iraq to “respect the sovereignty of the state of Kuwait and its territorial integrity, and to adhere to bilateral and international commitments”.

It called for the completion of the maritime boundary delineation between the two countries, underscoring the “importance of achieving positive progress”.

The dispute dates back to the UN Security Council's Resolution 833 of 1993 after Saddam Hussein's army was expelled from Kuwait. It determined the land border, but the delineation of the maritime border was left to the two countries.

Iraq and Kuwait have formed several joint committees for the completion of the maritime boundary delineation since the overthrow of Saddam by a US-led invasion in 2003. However, no progress has been made with their work mired by political infighting in Iraq.

In September 2023, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court struck down a maritime agreement meant to regulate navigation in the Khor Abdullah waterway following a lawsuit filed by several legislators. Critics in Iraq consider the agreement unfair, arguing that Kuwait has no right to control any part of Khor Abdullah, historically known as an Iraqi canal. They claim that the agreement is meant to delineate a maritime border rather than regulate navigation.

Since then, Kuwait has expressed concern about the court decision and Baghdad has said it honours its international deals and that it has no say over the court ruling. Last month, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani asked the court in separate requests to reverse its decision. Last week, the court postponed a hearing on the matter to June 22.

A view from the International Space Station of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, top left, spilling into the Gulf. AFP

Kuwait is also in dispute with Iran over their maritime border and the Al Durra offshore gasfield in the Arabian Gulf. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have said they have “exclusive rights” to Al Durra and called on Iran to validate its claim by first demarcating its own maritime borders. Iran has claimed a stake in the field and described a Kuwaiti-Saudi agreement signed in 2022 to develop the field as “illegal”.

The GCC Ministerial Council reiterated that the field “is entirely located within the maritime areas” of Kuwait, and that the “ownership of natural resources in the divided submerged area adjacent to the divided Kuwaiti-Saudi area, is a shared ownership between the state of Kuwait and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia only”.

“Both have exclusive rights to exploit the natural resources in that area, in accordance with international law and based on the agreements in force between them,” it said.

The council “firmly rejected any claims of rights by any other party in this field or in the submerged area adjacent to the divided area, as defined by the boundaries between the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, it added.