5 Top Points
- Saudi Arabia and the US discussed cooperation in digital economy and space industry.
- Kuwait Petroleum International expanded its presence in Europe through acquision of an Italian biofuels production company.
- GCC Secretary General invited Brazil’s Foreign Minister to the first Gulf-Brazilian ministerial meeting to be held in Doha in September.
- Qatar hosted the 3rd United Nations Meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan
- The EU and the UAE held the 6thStructural Dialogue on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism.
‘Round and About the Gulf’
Kingdom of Bahrain
Saturday, 29 June—Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry called for avoiding military escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border and preventing the expansion of conflict in the region, expressing support for the de-escalation efforts led by the US and France. Bahrain called for an immediate ceasefire between the two sides and urged both parties to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 through peaceful negotiations. Furthermore, Bahrain urged the UN Security Council to intervene urgently and address the military clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Monday, 1 July—Bapco Energies and Total Energies signed a strategic partnership agreement for petroleum products trading in Paris. The signing ceremony was attended by several Bahraini and Bapco officials, including Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Commander of Bahrain’s Royal Guard, Deputy Chairman of the Higher Committee for Energy and Natural Resources and the Head of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, and Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Daina, Minister of Oil and Environment and Special Envoy for Climate Affairs.
State of Kuwait
Wednesday, 26 June—The Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) finalised an agreement to acquire a 50% stake in Italy’s Eco Fox, a subsidiary of Fox Petroli, which specialises in biofuel production. It came after an approval from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition. It is KPI’s first entry into the biofuel production and expands its market share in Europe.
Sultanate of Oman
Sunday, 30 June—Oman hosted a new round of negotiations between Yemen’s government and the Houthis focused on the exchange of prisoners and detainees, sponsored by the United Nations (UN).
State of Qatar
Sunday, 30 June—Qatar hosted the 3rd United Nations Meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan. On the sidelines, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Hanzab, met separately with Spokesman of the Taliban Government, Zabihullah Mujahid,Special Representative of the British Prime Minister for Afghanistan, Andrew McCoubrey, China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, Yue Xiaoyong, and Director of Indo-Pacific, South Asia and Afghanistan, Erik Kurzweil.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Monday, 1 July—Saudi Aramco discovered new oil and natural gas fields in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter. Specifically, it concerns two unconventional oil fields, one Arabian light oil reservoir, two natural gas fields, and two natural gas reservoirs in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter, according to the Minister of Energy, Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud.
Tuesday, 2 July—The Saudi Mining Services Company, ESNAD, the executive and operational arm of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, unveiled its new strategy, which will run through 2026, aiming to facilitate the transformation of the mining sector by offering services that improve the investment environment and promote the sustainable and optimal utilisation of mineral resources.
United Arab Emirates
Wednesday, 26 June—The UAE-Georgia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement officially entered into force.
Tuesday, 2 July—The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) partnered with the energy major, Total Energies, to launch a programme of conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
EU Corner
Monday, 1 July—Abdullah bin Faisal Al-Dosari, Bahrain’s Ambassador to Belgium and Head of its Mission to the European Union, met with Hélène Le Gal, the Director General for the Middle East and North Africa of the European Union’s External Action Service.
Sunday, 30 June—Kuwait’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Al-Yahya, met with the EU Ambassador to Kuwait, Anne Koistinen.
Tuesday, 2 July—The 6th EU-UAE Structural Dialogue on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) was held in Brussels, aiming to discuss enhancing cooperation in combating financial crimes. The Dialogue was attended by UAE’s Director of the Economic and Trade Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Rashed Al-Teneiji, who highlighted his country’s commitment to strengthen its regulatory frameworks.
Key Official Visits& Contacts
Wednesday, 26 June—Bahrain’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, was in Washington, DC on an official visit for talks with stakeholders and US officials regarding Bahraini-US trade, investment and industrial relations. He met with Catherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative, and participated in several events, including by the US Chamber of Commerce, the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), the National Council on US-Arab Relations. On the occasion, Bahrain signed an agreement with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Thursday, 27 June—Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, received his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, in Abu Dhabi.
Thursday, 27 June—The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Al-Budaiwi, visited Brazil and invited the Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, to participate in the first Gulf-Brazilian ministerial meeting to be held in Doha, Qatar, in September.
Thursday, 27 June—A UAE government delegation, led by Huda Al-Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, met Ulrike Knudsen, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and other OECD officials in Paris, to discuss opportunities for expanding bilateral cooperation.
Friday, 28 June—The UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, was on an official visit to the United States. Washington, DC, he met with US Secretary of Commerce,Gina Raimondo, to discuss strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, and led the UAE delegation of government officials and business leaders to the 10th SelectUSA Investment Summit in a bid to explore opportunities for the UAE private sector. He also visited San Francisco and the Silicon Valley, aiming to boost UAE-US economic cooperation and exploring partnerships, particularly in advanced technology, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and climate tech.
Friday, 28 June—The 8th Saudi-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council Meeting was held in Washington, DC. It was co-chaired by the Saudi General Authority of Foreign Trade Deputy Governor for International Relations, Abdulaziz Al-Sakran, and Assistant US Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, Bryant Trick.
Friday, 28 June—Kuwait’s Minister of Justice, Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Mohammed Al-Wasmi, and his Russian counterpart, Konstantin Chuychenko, signed two agreements on judicial and legal cooperation during the 12th International Legal Forum in Saint Petersburg. The agreements concern procedural terms for criminal extradition and prosecution regulations, as well as the convicts’ right to spend their imprisonment in their home country.
Saturday, 29 June—During his visit to the US, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawah, discussed cooperation in the digital economy and space industry in separate meetings with the US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, the Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, Anne Neuberger,theSpecial Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, Amos Hochstein, the National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, and the Executive Secretary of the National Space Council, Chirag Parikh.
Sunday, 30 June—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, met with India’s Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Doha.
Monday, 1 July—On the sidelines of the Egypt-EU Investment Conference, BP signed a Joint Development Agreement to join the existing consortium comprising of UAE’s renewable energy company, Masdar, Hassan Allam Utilities and Infinity Power to explore the potential development of a multi-phase green hydrogen project in Egypt. BP will act as the main developer and operator of the project on behalf of the consortium. They will also explore the potential for a single large-scale, multi-phase project for the development of a green hydrogen and its derivatives, with a focus on exports. The consortium signed an agreement with the Egyptian government to start carrying out a set of studies and activities to evaluate the technical and commercial feasibility of the project.
Tuesday, 2 July—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defence, Khalid bin Salman Al-Saud, and his accompanying delegation arrived for an official visit in Ankara. He met with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Minister of National Defence, Yaşar Guler, and President of the Turkish Defence Industry Agency, Haluk Gorgun, among other officials.