Turkey said it could use Iraq as an alternative trade route, cutting out Syria entirely as Damascus faces broad economic sanctions over its deadly crackdown on its 8-month-old uprising. Syria has been a main transit route for Middle East trade, which Damascus hopes will help cushion the effects of tough new sanctions from the Arab […]
Turkey and Iraq have agreed to open two new border crossings to boost trade and accommodate increasing traffic between the two neighbors, according to a report from Today’s Zaman. The issue was discussed during a two-day visit by Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari to Ankara on Wednesday. The formal agreement for the opening of […]
In the following video interview, former UNAMI chief Ad Melkert (2009-2011) recounts how the United Nations supported dialogue over boundary issues and assisted Iraqi politicians to find a compromise on the electoral law that laid the ground for peaceful elections in 2009. (Source: United Nations)
According to lawmakers, the border area between Kuwait and Iraq should no longer be disputed territory. However Iraqi locals see it differently and accuse Kuwait of blocking their waterways, stealing their oil and teaching their children untruths about the area, according to this report from Niqash. As dusk falls along the southern borders that Iraq […]
Iraq and Iran have agreed that the Iraqi committee for demarcation of borders between the two countries should complete its mission by the end of the year, according to AKnews. Ahmed al-Shekhani, a member of the committee, told the agency that the related bodies agreed for the committee to assign landmarks on the border areas of […]
Fars News Agency reports that a senior Iranian oil official has announced that the country has worked out an agreement with Iraq to develop joint oil fields along the countries' shared border. The Managing Director of the Iranian Central Oil Fields Company (ICOFC) Mehdi Fakour added, "We are waiting for the Iraqis to be prepared […]
AKnews reports that the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Iraq has dismissed accusations that his country has extracted more than its share of oil from bordering oil fields. Ambassador Ali Mo’men counter-claimed that those behind the allegations were attempting to stir up ill-feeling between the neighboring states. He told AKnews that Kuwait is making every effort to […]
A security source in Basra Province revealed on Wednesday that Iran is preparing to drill an oil well 600 meters from the border of Iraq's Basra province, and stressed that relevant government authorities were informed of this activity, according to Alsumarianews. The source told the agency that border forces detected the installation of an Iranian […]
Under the auspices of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a meeting was held yesterday, 25 May 2011, by the Standing Consultation Mechanism to advance the resolution of the Disputed Internal Boundaries issues. Attention was given to the security arrangements in the respective areas. Furthermore the participants discussed ways for expediting the holding […]
Iraq and Kuwait pledged on Wednesday to work toward resolving border disputes and debt issues as the two former enemies seek to repair relations damaged by Saddam Hussein's 1990. Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari (pictured), and the Kuwaiti ambassador made the remarks at a flag-raising ceremony at the new Kuwaiti Embassy in Baghdad — the […]
Iran-Iraq joint committee will start demarcating their borders in the near future, according to report published on Fars news agency on Friday. Fars reported an Iraqi deputy foreign minister as saying that a joint committee has been established in this regard to start a new demarcation of the common borders. He expressed hope that the […]
An adviser in the Iraqi government has said that the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has instructed the Interior Ministry to combat corruption at border crossing points. Ahmed al-Shihani told AKnews that the Prime Minister called for action to be taken following official reports about rising corruption at Iraq’s border crossings -- particularly the borders with […]
