Riyadh: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed deep concern over the coordinate lists and map recently submitted by the Republic of Iraq to the United Nations.
According to Saudi Press Agency, these submissions include encroachments into large parts of the divided submerged area adjacent to the Saudi-Kuwaiti divided zone.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the State of Kuwait, shares ownership of natural resources in this area under existing agreements that adhere to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Ministry highlighted that the coordinates submitted by Iraq infringe upon Kuwait's maritime sovereignty, affecting areas including Fasht Al-Qaid and Fasht Al-Aij.
Saudi Arabia firmly rejects any external claims to rights within the divided submerged area, emphasizing that these boundaries are designated in conjunction with Kuwait. The Ministry urged Iraq to respect Kuwait's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to honor all bilateral and international agreements.
Furthermore, the Ministry called on Iraq to adhere to United Nations resolutions, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolution 833 (1993), which delineated the land and maritime boundary between Kuwait and Iraq. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advocates for the resolution of these disputes through reasoned dialogue, urging all parties to engage responsibly, in accordance with international law and principles of good neighborliness.