5 Top Points
- Oman-Türkiye Strategic Boost: Oman and Turkey deepened their partnership during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s state visit to Muscat, signing a raft of agreements and establishing a joint Oman-Türkiye Coordination Council to ensure implementation. Both countries also agreed to reciprocal visa waivers for ordinary passport holders, underscoring their strengthened ties.
- Gaza Ceasefire Mediation: Qatar and Türkiye coordinated efforts to preserve the fragile Gaza ceasefire, with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and President Erdoğan meeting in Doha to co-chair the Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee. They signed new cooperation agreements and, alongside Egypt and the US, continue to mediate between Israel and Palestinian factions to solidify the truce and push toward a two-state solution.
- Saudi Investment Forum Draws Global Interest: Saudi Arabia convened its 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh (27-30 October), hosting around 8,000 participants and hundreds of global CEOs and policymakers. The forum highlighted Riyadh’s ambitious Vision 2030 projects, with Ministers used the platform to urge a greater private-sector role in the economy.
- UK-GCC Trade Deal on the Horizon: On the FII sidelines, Qatar’s Finance Minister Ali Al Kuwari, speaking alongside his UK counterpart Rachel Reeves, announced that a comprehensive free trade agreement between the UK and the GCC is almost complete.
- Global Alliance for Mideast Peace: Saudi Arabia and Norway co-chaired a high-level meeting in Riyadh of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, building on recent New York and Sharm El Sheikh declarations for Middle East peace. Bahraini and Omani representatives also joined in reaffirming that momentum from the Gaza ceasefire should translate into a revived peace process towards a two-state solution.
‘Round and About the Gulf’
Kingdom of Bahrain
Sunday, 26 October – King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received Saudi Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd in Manama, conveying fraternal greetings and discussing bilateral initiatives. On behalf of King Hamad, Prince Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa led Bahrain’s delegation to the Saudi-hosted FII summit in Riyadh, reflecting the Kingdom’s support for regional economic integration.
Monday, 27 October – Bahrain hosted the third joint exercise of the International Security Alliance, a multilateral security drill involving nine countries, including the UAE, France, Italy, Spain and Slovakia, to enhance coordination against transnational threats. In Manama, the Deputy Chief of Public Security received Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw, commander of the US Fifth Fleet, to review US-Bahrain maritime security cooperation.
State of Kuwait
Thursday, 23 October – Kuwait and the UK reaffirmed their deep ties at the 22nd UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group meeting in London. Co-chaired by UK Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer and Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Jarrah Al Sabah, the talks covered trade, investment and defence cooperation, and saw the signing of MoUs on healthcare collaboration and hydrographic surveying.
Sultanate of Oman
Wednesday, 22 October – Oman hosted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a visit that bolstered economic and strategic ties. Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and Erdoğan oversaw the signing of numerous accords spanning investment, technology, mining, and defence. They agreed to form an Oman-Türkiye Coordination Council to implement these deals, and announced mutual visa exemptions to facilitate travel.
Monday, 27 October – Oman-Saudi Coordination: Muscat and Riyadh continued to strengthen their rapprochement. The Oman-Saudi Coordination Council met to review progress on joint initiatives under the countries’ strategic cooperation agreement. High-level delegations discussed aligning Oman’s Vision 2040 with Saudi Vision 2030 projects, boosting trade and connectivity, and coordinating diplomatic positions.
State of Qatar
Sunday, 26 October – Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar visited Doha to sign agreements enhancing economic and political cooperation. Qatar and Djibouti agreed to set up a Joint Commission for regular consultations on regional stability in the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa, and discussed initiatives like reciprocal diplomatic visa waivers.
Tuesday, 28 October – Speaking at Saudi Arabia’s FII forum, Qatar’s Finance Minister Ali Al Kuwari announced plans to double the Qatar Investment Authority’s US investments, with a focus on high-growth technology and artificial intelligence sectors. He noted that much of Qatar’s future investment in the US will target tech and AI as engines of economic growth.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, 28 October – Riyadh’s flagship FII summit (9th edition) convened thousands of global investors, executives and officials, signalling Saudi Arabia’s return to the centre of international finance. Sessions focused on artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the Kingdom’s mega-projects. Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih urged the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) to taper its domestic dominance to make space for private investors, marking a policy shift to energise the private sector.
United Arab Emirates
Friday, 24 October – The UAE and the Netherlands deepened their judicial cooperation during an official visit to The Hague by UAE Justice Minister Abdullah Al Nuaimi. Al Nuaimi and Dutch Justice Minister Foort van Oosten discussed joint efforts to combat transnational organised crime, money laundering and cybercrime. They lauded the success of recent UAE-Netherlands extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties, with around ten fugitives extradited in 2025 alone, and agreed to enhance real-time information exchange and training programs. The UAE affirmed its commitment to international rule-of-law partnerships, noting close coordination with European agencies like Eurojust in tackling global criminal networks.
Tuesday, 28 October – The UAE highlighted its expanding economic footprint in Africa at the UAE-Africa Investment Summit 2025 held in Dubai. Officials announced that UAE investments in Africa exceeded 110 billion USD during 2019-2023, making the Emirates the fourth-largest global investor in the continent (after the US, China and the EU). Over 70 billion USD of this went into green and renewable energy projects, aligning with the UAE’s emphasis on sustainable development. The summit, which drew ministers from over 20 African nations, showcased dozens of joint projects in tourism, infrastructure and logistics worth more than 6 billion USD.
EU Corner
The EU held its first-ever summit with Egypt (22 October), with European Council President António Costa and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt meeting in Brussels. The summit focused on strengthening economic ties and jointly managing migration flows, but was dominated by discussions on Gaza. The EU welcomed the Comprehensive Plan to end the Gaza conflict, and pledged 150 million EUR in immediate humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilians. EU leaders praised Egypt’s role in facilitating aid through the Rafah crossing and agreed with Sisi to coordinate efforts on Gaza’s post-conflict reconstruction and security arrangements, emphasising that any long-term solution must involve the Palestinian Authority’s return to governance in Gaza.
In response to Israel’s Knesset advancing a bill to apply Israeli law in parts of the occupied West Bank, the EU firmly restated that any annexation of occupied Palestinian territory is illegal under international law. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas warned (25 October) that unilaterally altering the West Bank’s status would gravely undermine prospects for a two-state solution, and welcomed the UAE’s diplomatic warning that annexation would be a red line.
Key Official Visits & Contacts
Wednesday–Thursday, 22–23 October (Muscat, Doha) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan undertook a Gulf tour, visiting Oman and Qatar. In Muscat, he met Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, resulting in numerous cooperation agreements and the formation of an Oman-Türkiye strategic council. In Doha, Erdoğan conferred with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, co-chairing the Türkiye-Qatar High Strategic Committee which focused on bolstering ties and joint mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict.
Monday, 27 October (Muscat) – Saudi Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd co-chaired the Oman-Saudi Coordination Council in Muscat alongside Omani Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik. These high-level exchanges focused on implementing joint economic ventures and aligning foreign policy coordination.
Saturday, 25 October (Kuwait City) – Switzerland’s Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visited Kuwait City as part of a Middle East trip. He met Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Sabah and Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Al Sabah to discuss the Gaza war’s ramifications and humanitarian needs, as well as opportunities for Swiss-Kuwaiti economic partnerships. Cassis thanked Kuwait for its mediation efforts and generous aid to Gaza, and explored avenues for cooperation in finance and education.