SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kuwait decried violations of its sovereignty after Three Iraqi warships on Friday entered its territorial waters.
The Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed in a statement that three warships belonging to Iraq entered its territorial waters.
Kuwait called for the immediate withdrawal of the ships, read the statement.
“Any violation affecting the sovereignty of Kuwait is denied and the right to respond in accordance with legal means is reserved,” the Ministry added in the statement.
No statement has been made yet from Iraq the on the incident. There has been no explanation regarding such an unexpected move by the Iraqis.
The development may lead to a crisis as Kuwait’s Ambassador to Iraq Tariq al-Faraci met with the Head of the Arab Department of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issue.
The Kuwaiti official told the Iraqi official that three ships of the Iraqi navy violated Kuwait’s territorial waters. Faraci had given a memorandum, demanding withdrawal, according to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Kuwait is ready for cooperation with brotherly Iraq as stipulated in the Hur Abdullah Agreement,” the statement continued.
Back then, in 2012 The international Hur Abdullah Agreement was signed between the two countries, and based on the drawing of the maritime border between the two countries, any violation affecting Kuwait’s sovereignty is denied, and to respond in accordance with legal means.
The fresh Kuwait-Iraq border crisis came after a long period of stability between the two sides after Iraq’s overthrown leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.
The relations were pretty much developed after that period of turmoil. High-level visits between both sides have occurred. Recently, in late November the Iraqi Prime Minister paid a visit to the country and met with its Emir.
In the meantime, Kuwait has opened consulates in Najaf and Erbil.
