Iraq and Kuwait agreed to establish a joint working team to address unresolved issues between them. The team will prepare a roadmap for resolving these issues.
The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting in New York between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi and Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sabah Khaled al-Sabah on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Joint recommendations to be submitted within 30 days
According to the joint statement, the working team will examine the unresolved issues and prepare a roadmap for resolving them. The joint recommendations will be submitted to the leaderships of both countries within no more than 30 days.
Baghdad and Kuwait will host the team's meetings alternately. The statement said the meetings would continue regularly until the work is completed.
Iraq and Kuwait announced that they would provide full support for the team to complete its mandate. The two countries aim for the work to help close the unresolved files and usher in a new period of cooperation and partnership in their relations.
Maritime boundary and Khor Abdullah issues
The joint statement did not specify which issues the team would address or when its first meeting would be held.
Recent talks between Iraq and Kuwait have addressed the maritime boundary beyond Marker 162, the regulation of maritime traffic in Khor Abdullah, missing Kuwaitis and third-country nationals, and missing Kuwaiti property.
In September 2023, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court ruled that the law approving the 2012 agreement between the two countries regulating maritime traffic in Khor Abdullah was unconstitutional. The ruling on the agreement, which entered into force in December 2013, brought the issue back to the forefront of relations between Baghdad and Kuwait.
Maritime boundary dispute returns to the forefront
The maritime boundary dispute returned to the agenda after Iraq submitted maritime coordinates and a map to the United Nations in February 2026 covering its internal waters, territorial waters, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.
Kuwait formally objected to the move, saying that the coordinates and map submitted by Iraq affected its sovereignty over the maritime zones. Iraqi authorities said the action was based on national laws, international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
UN mechanism for missing people and property
In September 2025, the United Nations Security Council established a mechanism that will continue monitoring the files concerning missing Kuwaitis, third-country nationals and the return of Kuwaiti property. The mechanism was established after the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq ended on December 31, 2025.
In March, the United Nations secretary-general appointed Japan's Mari Yamashita as a senior representative to support and facilitate efforts concerning these files. The appointment was made in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2792 of 2025.
