Neutral zone (Saudi-Kuwaiti)

The Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone (also the partition zone ) is an area of ​​5770 km² between Saudi Arabia (at the time of its formation, Nejd ) and Kuwait , temporarily remaining “no-man’s” land when, after the signing of December 2, 1922, the Ukair treaty was established the border.

Regarding the area, which later became known as the “Neutral Zone” or the “Dividing Zone”, the Ukayra Agreement stated: “The governments of Nejd and Kuwait will have equal rights until a new agreement between Nejd and Kuwait is signed with the help of the British Government.”

However, both countries had little interest in the final settlement of the issue on the so-called “neutral zone” before the discovery in 1938 of oil fields in Burgan in Kuwait. Due to the likelihood of finding oil on the territory of the “neutral zone” itself in 1948-1949, the governments of both countries granted concessions to private companies in it. Later, both countries regulated the issue of oil production on it within the framework of a joint activity agreement.

Shortly thereafter, negotiations began on the division of territory between the rulers of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia: in October 1960, at a meeting, they decided that the Neutral Zone should be divided. On July 7, 1965, the governments of the two countries signed an agreement (which entered into force on July 25, 1966) on the division of the neutral zone and the joining of its parts to its adjacent territories. The agreement on demarcation of the Neutral Zone dividing line was signed on December 17, 1967, but did not officially enter into force until ratification by both parties (ratified by Kuwait on December 18, 1969 ^[1] and Saudi Arabia on January 18, 1970. On January 25, 1970, the agreement was published in the Official Gazette of Kuwait.

The zone was never assigned an ISO 3166 code since it ceased to exist until its adoption in 1974.