Baghdad denies land cession to Kuwait amidst border demarcation talks

Shafaq News / Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied on Wednesday relinquishing Iraq's land and maritime sovereignty and ceding any territory from Basra Governorate to Kuwait.

The spokesperson of the ministry, Ahmed Al-Sahaf, affirmed in a statement, "the demarcation of the land borders with the Kuwaiti side was carried out in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 833 of 1993, to which the Iraqi government fully adheres and fulfills its relevant international commitments."

He further added, "The land borders have not been and will not be subject to any changes since their official establishment."

Al-Sahaf clarified, "government houses located adjacent to the border pillars between Iraq and the State of Kuwait are situated on Iraqi land, whether they were built before or after their occupants moved to the residential area constructed to provide them with a more stable dwelling that does not violate Iraq's sovereignty. The option of cession is not on the table; it is a path that the ministry is determined to uphold."

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.

In recent days, several parliamentarians and officials made statements on this matter, warning against relinquishing any Iraqi territory to Kuwait. In response, citizens from Basra protested in Am Qasr, expressing their opposition to this decision.