DOHA, June 10 : The 160th GCC ministerial council meeting expressed congratulations, Sunday, to His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, after an Amiri decree appointing him by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. In a statement, the ministerial council expressed best wishes for Kuwait and a continued progress and prosperity.

On another front, the statement, which was issued by the Ministerial Council at its 160th session in Doha confirmed that the entire Durra field, located in the marine areas of the State of Kuwait and that ownership of the natural resources in the divided submerged area adjacent to the Saudi-Kuwaiti divided zone, including the entire Durra field, which is a joint ownership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait. The statement added that the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia alone have full rights to exploit the natural resources in that region in accordance with the provisions of international law and based on the agreements concluded and in force between them, stressing its categorical rejection of any allegations of the existence of rights for any other party in this field or the submerged area adjacent to the area divided by its specific borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait.

The Ministerial council also asserted on importance of the Republic of Iraq to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State of Kuwait and adhere to bilateral and international pledges and agreements and all relevant United Nations resolutions, especially the Security Council Resolution No. 833 of 1993, regarding the demarcation of the Kuwaiti-Iraqi land and sea borders.

The Ministerial Council called on Iraq to work hard to complete the demarcation of the maritime borders between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Iraq beyond the maritime 162 mark. The Ministerial Council also called on the government of Iraq to adhere to the “Agreement on the Regulation of Maritime Navigation in Khor Abdullah” which was signed between Kuwait and Iraq on April 29, 2012.

Which entered into force since December 5, 2013 and jointly put forward to the United Nations on December 18, 2013. The Ministerial Council expressed its complete rejection of what was contained in the merits of the ruling of the Federal Supreme Court in Iraq in this regard, and its rejection of the historical fallacies contained in the merits of the ruling, and considered any decisions, practices or unilateral actions undertaken by the Republic of Iraq related to the Khor Abdullah Agreement as null and void, in addition to its rejection of the unilateral Iraqi action. The council also noted that it has annulled the security exchange protocol signed in 2008 and its approved map in the joint plan to ensure the safety of navigation in Khor Abdullah, signed between the two sides on December 28, 2014, which included a clear and specific mechanism for amendment and cancellation.

The Council affirmed its support for Security Council Resolution No. 2732 of 2024, and the importance of ensuring the Security Council’s continued follow-up of developments in the humanitarian issue of prisoners and missing persons, and the Kuwaiti property issue, including the National Archives, and adhering to the umbrella of the Security Council, as stated in Security Council Resolution No. 2107 of 2013. The Council also stressed that the fair and most appropriate alternative after the end of the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) lies in the UN Secretary- General’s appointment of a high-level coordinator to follow up on Kuwait’s humanitarian and national documents, similar to what was done before the issuance of Security Council Resolution 2107 of 2013. Considering that it is a mechanism that has previously been tried and proven successful, and calling on the Government of Iraq to cooperate in making progress in this regard and to exert maximum efforts to reach a final solution to these issues. (KUNA)