Iraqi Lawmaker’s Visit to Kuwait Border Triggers ‘Khor Abdullah’ Crisis

Kuwaiti lawmakers attend the opening ceremony of the 17th parliamentary term at the National Assembly (parliament) in Kuwait City on October 31, 2023. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
Kuwaiti lawmakers attend the opening ceremony of the 17th parliamentary term at the National Assembly (parliament) in Kuwait City on October 31, 2023. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Iraqi Lawmaker’s Visit to Kuwait Border Triggers ‘Khor Abdullah’ Crisis

Kuwaiti lawmakers attend the opening ceremony of the 17th parliamentary term at the National Assembly (parliament) in Kuwait City on October 31, 2023. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
Kuwaiti lawmakers attend the opening ceremony of the 17th parliamentary term at the National Assembly (parliament) in Kuwait City on October 31, 2023. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

The visit of Saud Al-Saadi, an Iraqi parliamentarian, to the Kuwaiti border has triggered a crisis regarding the Khor Abdullah Agreement and certain border issues.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry has called on the Iraqi Parliament to provide clarification regarding Al-Saadi’s crossing of the demarcation lines between the two countries.

Al-Saadi, a deputy representing the “Hoqooq” parliamentary bloc, had previously contested the agreement and secured a ruling from the Federal Court in early September, which invalidated Parliament’s approval of it in 2013.

Despite Kuwaiti demands for clarification from the Iraqi Parliament regarding Al-Saadi’s visit to the border, which occurred in August, the leakage of this information to the public prompted a response from the lawmaker.

“We were surprised by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs notifying us of a phone call between the Deputy Foreign Minister of Kuwait and the Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait, which contained baseless allegations,” said Al-Saadi.

Al-Saadi emphasized that he would proceed with legal measures and issue an official warning against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has been reluctant to implement the Federal Supreme Court’s decision, despite its binding validity on all authorities, both inside and outside Iraq, in accordance with Article 94 of the Constitution.

Furthermore, he called on the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the UN, to submit and register the decision of the Federal Supreme Court with the UN Secretariat.

Soon after Baghdad made the declaration on backing down from the Khor Abdullah accord, the Kuwaiti Cabinet issued a statement affirming that the resolution included baseless allegations, urging Baghdad to take serious and urgent steps to “tackle the negative consequences of these developments.”

This came on the heels of Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Ahmad Al-Bakr lodging a memo of complaint with the Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait Al-Menhel Al-Safi.



Makkah Deputy Governor Carries Out Field Inspection of Grand Mosque Readiness for Ramadan 

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
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Makkah Deputy Governor Carries Out Field Inspection of Grand Mosque Readiness for Ramadan 

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz inspected the readiness of the Grand Mosque and its facilities, conducting a field tour to review operational and service preparations for receiving worshippers and Umrah performers during the holy month of Ramadan, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

Prince Saud was briefed on the operational plans implemented by the relevant authorities, including crowd management mechanisms, service enhancements, and facility preparations aimed at ensuring smooth movement and enhancing comfort and safety levels for visitors to the Grand Mosque, particularly during peak times.

He reviewed developmental initiatives and smart services supporting the operational system, notably electric mobility carts for transporting the elderly, persons with disabilities, and those in need of assistance within the Grand Mosque.

The tour also included an overview of the efforts of guidance teams deployed across the corridors and courtyards of the Grand Mosque, providing multilingual assistance and direction.

Prince Saud reviewed the interactive map and digital mobility platform, which allows visitors to plan their routes in advance and identify service locations, entrances and exits, and less crowded pathways.

He was briefed on crowd management systems, including the visitor density sensor platform that measures human density in real time, and the Tawaf and Sa’i crowd status display service, which allows worshippers to select appropriate times to perform rituals with ease. Models of the modern multilingual guidance system were also reviewed.

Prince Saud also visited the Smart Engineering Command and Control Center, which serves as an advanced central platform linking operational systems and monitoring performance in real time, boosting operational efficiency and raising readiness levels during Ramadan.


Saudi Leadership Provides Two Donations Worth SAR150 Mln Through Jood Eskan Platform

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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Saudi Leadership Provides Two Donations Worth SAR150 Mln Through Jood Eskan Platform

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, have provided two generous donations amounting to SAR150 million through the Jood Eskan platform.

The move aligns with the leadership's commitment to supporting all national efforts and initiatives to provide suitable housing for deserving families.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan) Majed Al-Hogail expressed his deep gratitude to the leadership for its unwavering support to all national efforts and initiatives aimed at providing suitable housing for eligible families across the Kingdom.

He noted the effective impact of previous generous donations in achieving the goals of housing development, and motivating individuals and institutions to donate through the Jood Eskan platform that is based on community giving that helps provide decent housing and boosts stability and quality of life for deserving families.


Saudi Crown Prince Receives Message on Bilateral Ties from President of Kazakhstan

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Message on Bilateral Ties from President of Kazakhstan

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Tuesday a written message from President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on bilateral relations between their two countries.

The message was received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah during a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Yermek Kosherbayev in Riyadh.