5 Top Points
- Officials of Saudi Arabia and the US held a phone call.
- The Foreign Ministers of Qatar and Iran met in Doha.
- The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy held a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister.
- Oman and Belarus made several agreements.
- Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister held a phone call with the President of the European Council.
‘Round and About the Gulf’
Kingdom of Bahrain
Sunday, 13 October—The Central Bank of Bahrain’s (CBB) Board of Directors held its fourth meeting for its overall financial performance and developments for the third quarter of 2024. Chaired by Hassan Khalifa Al-Jalahma, the Board assessed monetary and banking indicators for the year with the money supply projected to reach BD 16.4 billion by the end of August and the banking sector demonstrating high levels of capital and liquidity.
State of Kuwait
Wednesday, 9 October—Kuwait’s Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment, and the Acting Minister of Oil, Nora Al-Fassam, met with Microsoft Deputy CEO, Angela Heise, to develop a digital department that supports the state of Kuwait in accelerating digital transformation, strengthening cyber-security, and AI use. This is in alignment with Kuwait 2035 Development Strategy.
Sunday, 13 October—B.Online, formerly Gulfnet Communications Company, collaborated with Canadian companies, Stratejm and Bell Canada, to launch Kuwait’s first locally managed Security Operations Center (SOC) and Security Operations (SecOps) services. This will assist Kuwait’s cybersecurity sector in providing real-time monitoring and advanced threat prevention against cyber threats. The Ambassador of Canada to Kuwait, Aliya Mawani, expressed her support for the initiative to strengthen collaboration between Kuwait and Canada.
Sultanate of Oman
Thursday, 10 October—The Royal Army of Oman (RAO) took part in the joint-military exercise “Mountain Falcons” with the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces. The military exercise is a part of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) annual training plans that are often carried out with cooperative countries. The drill took place under the command of General Mattar Salim Al-Balushi and Brigadier-General Kiumars Heidari, Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces.
Sunday, 13 October—The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) took part in the joint-military exercise “Washaq Al Jabal 1” or “Mountain Lynx 1” with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The exercise explored ways to sustain combat and operational readiness with personnel from The Royal Army of Oman (RAO) and exchange expertise between the two countries. The joint-military exercise will last till 21 October 2024.
State of Qatar
Thursday, 10 October—The Cabinet approved initiatives for strengthening the private sector on the directives of Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. These Initiatives include loan waivers for companies impacted by Covid, short-term financing aimed at promoting private sector growth, protection of industrial designs, and new regulations in the real estate sector.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sunday, 13 October—The Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, announced that the kingdom will invest $267 billion dollars in logistics. With these investments, Saudi Arabia aims at becoming a global logistics hub by 2030, in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and the Vision 2030 programme.
United Arab Emirates
Monday, 11 October— 98% of CEOs and Senior Managers of organisations in the UAE plan to increase investments in AI for cybersecurity. As cyberattacks become more prevalent, AI is expected to boost speed and efficiency through automation, enhance threat detection, and improve vulnerability management.
EU Corner
Saturday, 12 October—The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, held a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, to discuss international and regional developments.
Monday, 14 October—Oman’s Prime Minister, Haitham bin Tarik, held a phone call with the President of the European Council (EU), Charles Michel, to discuss enhancing the relations between Oman and the EU countries and to exchange views on regional and international issues.
Tuesday, 15 October—Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al- Khalifa, had a phone call with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to discuss regional and international developments and preparations for the first EU-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, to be held on 16 October 2024.
Key Official Visits& Contacts
Wednesday, 9 October—Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Al-Yahya, held a phone call with the Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, addressing the current developments of the Israeli-Gaza conflict.
Wednesday, 9 October—Saudi Arabian officials, most notably Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, met with Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, in Riyadh to discuss the two countries bilateral relations as well as recent developments in the region.
Wednesday, 9 October—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defence, Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, held a phone call with the US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, discussing the strategic Saudi-US relationship and ways to enhance it. They also discussed efforts to deescalate the tensions in the region.
Friday, 11 October—Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, had a phone call with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, discussing efforts to prevent escalation in the region.
Saturday, 12 October—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, met with Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, in Doha to discuss pathways to deepen their cooperation as well as regional developments, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.
Saturday, 12 October— A Belarusian delegation headed by Prime Minister, Roman Golovchenko, visited Oman to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and exchange expertise in key fields such as economy, trade, culture, education, and investments. The visit resulted in three Memorandums of Understanding, focusing on cooperation in the fields of competition protection, anti-monopoly, consumer protection, and the exchange of information regarding stock market operations.
Saturday, 12 October—Bahrain’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA), Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al–Khalifa, met the German Ambassador to Bahrain, Clemens Hach, to discuss enhancing their cooperation and coordination in passports, residence services, and nationality.