Calls to include the Khor Abdullah issue in the Iraqi-Kuwaiti negotiations
Calls to include the Khor Abdullah issue in the Iraqi-Kuwaiti negotiations
2026-09-27
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Sunday, the popular movement opposing the Khor Abdullah agreement called on the Iraqi government to include the Khor Abdullah file in the work of the joint Iraqi-Kuwaiti working group tasked with reviewing outstanding issues between the two countries, stressing the need to address the file in accordance with the law and in a way that preserves Iraq’s rights and maritime interests.
The movement said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that it followed “with interest” the joint governmental statement issued by the Iraqi government and the Kuwaiti side regarding the formation of a joint working group to review the outstanding issues between the two countries and develop a roadmap to address them, expressing its support for every serious governmental effort to address these issues through dialogue, negotiation and legal means.
He stressed the need for the Khor Abdullah file to be clearly and fundamentally present within the work of the joint team, and for it to be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, the law, technical rules and relevant international law.
The movement called on the Iraqi government to form specialized and independent technical and legal committees, comprising experts in international law, maritime borders, hydrography and maritime navigation, along with representatives of the relevant Iraqi authorities, including those that contributed to the preparation and mapping of Iraqi maritime areas, to present a national vision supported by evidence and documents regarding the Khor Abdullah file.
He also called for the Kuwaiti side to be officially informed of the Iraqi position on the issue of regulating maritime navigation in Khor Abdullah, while emphasizing the decision of the Supreme Federal Court issued on September 4, 2023, which ruled that Law No. (42) of 2013 concerning the ratification of the agreement was unconstitutional, due to its violation of the constitutional procedures related to the ratification of international treaties and agreements, according to the statement.
He called on the Iraqi government to seize the opportunity presented by the formation of the joint Iraqi-Kuwaiti team to develop legal and well-considered solutions to outstanding issues, and to address any violations or problems related to Iraq’s land and sea borders, its rights and oil fields, through the established legal, diplomatic and institutional channels.
Iraq and Kuwait announced early Saturday morning that they had agreed to form a joint working group to review outstanding issues between them and to present a roadmap and recommendations to the leadership of both countries within a period not exceeding 30 days.
The agreement, according to a joint statement issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s media office, came after a meeting between Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zubaidi and Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalid al-Hamad al-Mubarak al-Sabah, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Among the most prominent issues that Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations have witnessed in recent years are the regulation of navigation in Khor Abdullah and the completion of the demarcation of maritime borders after marker 162.
The maritime dispute resurfaced in February 2026, after Iraq deposited coordinates and a map of its maritime zones with the United Nations, and Kuwait lodged a formal protest against them.
The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court had previously ruled, in September 2023, that the law ratifying the agreement regulating navigation in Khor Abdullah was unconstitutional.
shafaq.com
