Iraq returns 400 boxes of Kuwaiti archives in step toward resolving post-war issues

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday delivered 400 boxes of Kuwaiti archives and the Amiri archive to Kuwait through its embassy in Baghdad, reaffirming its commitment to resolving longstanding post-war issues dating back to the 1990 invasion.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs and Multilateral Relations Shorsh Khalid Saeed led the handover ceremony, saying Iraq “is determined to close the page of the past and erase the effects of the previous era,” and emphasizing its “resolve to finalize the Kuwaiti archives and Amiri archive file in a way that strengthens mutual trust between the two nations.”

The ministry said the materials — consisting of academic and cultural documents belonging to official Kuwaiti institutions — were prepared and transferred in coordination with Kuwaiti authorities under agreed procedures. The handover took place at Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the presence of the UN Secretary-General’s representative in Iraq, Ambassador Mohamed El Hassan.

Saeed said Iraq “has made great efforts in coordination with our brothers in Kuwait and achieved progress in this file,” noting that joint meetings between both sides “continue in a spirit of cooperation and positivity.”

Kuwait’s Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organizations Affairs, Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah, praised Iraq’s efforts and the role of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq in following up on the case. Ambassador El Hassan described the handover as “a landmark day in the course of Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations and the beginning of a new phase of cooperation between the two brotherly countries.”

Following Iraq’s 1990 invasion and seven-month occupation of Kuwait, Iraqi forces seized large quantities of government, university, and cultural archives. Both countries have since worked under UN auspices — including Security Council Resolution 2107 of 2013 — to return the materials. Previous shipments included 738 boxes of documents and cultural property returned to Kuwait in earlier phases.