The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that the government is committed to the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution on the demarcation of the borders with Kuwait, denying claims of “relinquishing Iraq’s land or sea sovereignty, especially with regard to the city of Umm Qasr.”
In a press statement, the ministry said that the land border demarcation with the Kuwaiti side came in accordance with Security Council Resolution 833, stressing that the government “expresses its full commitment to it, and its fulfillment of relevant international obligations.”
Local media and social media platforms circulated news claiming that the Iraqi-Kuwaiti negotiations on border demarcation involved ceding territory from the Um Qasr district in Basra Governorate to Kuwait.
Widespread controversy emerged after allegations that Kuwait cut off a residential complex near the Um Qasr naval base, with the installation of border columns. The central and local governments in Basra denied the claims.
The governor of Basra, Asaad Al-Eidani, said in a televised statement that the residences were located in an area where the border strip passes through, and they had to be moved deep into Iraqi territory. On the other hand, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, Bassem Al-Awadi, said that the demarcation of the borders was settled since 1994.
“There is no change in the procedures, and the crisis that has arisen recently is being used for political blackmail,” he added.
