Kuwaiti authorities welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani upon his arrival in Kuwait for an official visit on Wednesday.
Newly elected Mr Al Sudani is working to allay Iraq’s neighbours’ concerns, emphasising that his Iran-backed administration will continue to develop bilateral relations. The Coordination Framework, a coalition of pro-Iran Shiite militias and political parties, supports the prime minister.
During his visit to Jordan on Monday, he talked about bilateral relations with King Abdullah II. King Abdullah said Iraq plays an important role in the Arab world.
In August 1990, Saddam Hussein ordered his army into Kuwait to seize what he described as “Iraq’s 19th province”, before being pushed back seven months later by a US-led coalition. Diplomatic relations and cooperation have been restored since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which overthrew Saddam. Kuwait re-established its ambassador in Baghdad in 2008.
Iraq has just completed paying off $52.4 billion in invasion damages this year. However, there are still issues to be resolved between the two countries. Kuwaitis maintain that Iraqi fishermen do not respect boundaries, and Iraqi officials working on the Al Faw Port project on the Gulf frequently experience the same thing.
Image Credit: Kuwait News Agency
