Relationship dossier
Kuwait
United Arab Emirates
Relationship assessment
Kuwait and the UAE maintain cooperative ties, including a shared security history and support on a territorial dispute.
Kuwait toward United Arab Emirates
+40Kuwait has supported the UAE’s position that Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb belong to the UAE, while calling for the dispute with Iran to be resolved peacefully.
United Arab Emirates toward Kuwait
+40The UAE participated in the coalition that liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991, providing concrete military support to Kuwait.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship combines UAE military support during Kuwait’s liberation with Kuwaiti backing for the UAE’s position on the disputed islands. These are significant cooperative features, though the breadth of sustained bilateral arrangements is unclear.
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 the United Arab Emirates have a cooperative relationship with a notable security dimension. The UAE took part in the 1991 coalition that liberated Kuwait, while Kuwait has supported the UAE’s position on the disputed islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb. The scope and implementation of wider bilateral cooperation are less clear.
Key developments
The UAE participated in the coalition that liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.
Kuwait expressed support for the UAE’s claim to Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb and for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements and security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent and consistency of Kuwait’s support for the UAE’s position on the disputed islands are uncertain.