Relationship dossier
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Close Gulf partners with durable cooperation and periodic disputes over shared oil fields
Kuwait toward Saudi Arabia
+65Kuwait has cooperated with Saudi Arabia through Gulf security and political coordination and agreements governing their shared border and Divided Zone. The governments reached arrangements to resolve disputes and resume production from jointly developed oil fields.
Saudi Arabia toward Kuwait
+65Saudi Arabia supported Kuwait following Iraq's 1990 invasion and has coordinated with Kuwait on Gulf security. It has also negotiated agreements with Kuwait over their shared border and oil operations in the Divided Zone.
Overall relationship
+65The relationship is underpinned by sustained Gulf coordination, security ties, and bilateral agreements on the border and shared oil resources. These durable links coexist with periodic operational disputes over production and management in the Divided Zone, which the governments have addressed through negotiation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia maintain a close relationship shaped by Gulf cooperation, shared security concerns, and agreements on their common border and jointly administered oil areas. Saudi Arabia supported Kuwait after Iraq's 1990 invasion, and the two governments have worked to resolve disputes affecting shared oil production. A recurring source of friction has been the management and operation of fields in the Divided Zone.
Areas of tension
- Disputes over the management and operation of oil fields in the Divided Zone have interrupted production.
Key developments
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia agreed on the division of the Neutral Zone, establishing a framework for managing the area and its resources.
Saudi Arabia supported Kuwait after Iraq invaded and occupied the country.
The two governments signed agreements concerning the Divided Zone and the resumption of production from shared oil fields.
Major uncertainties
- The current implementation and production effects of agreements on the Divided Zone are unclear.
- The scope of ongoing bilateral security coordination is not fully clear.