5 Top Points
- GCC countries’ officials attended the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- The Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit was hosted in Riyadh.
- Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister met with Türkiye’s President.
- Oman launched its first home-grown satellite OL-1.
- The United States held separate phone calls with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
‘Round and About the Gulf’
Kingdom of Bahrain
Wednesday, 6 November—The Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) announced that it had attracted over $100 million in investment commitments from Singapore-based companies since the establishment of its Singapore office in November 2023. The investments primarily pertain to financial services, information and communications technology, and tourism, supporting Bahrain’s pursuit of attracting foreign investments and becoming an innovation hub.
State of Kuwait
Sunday, 10 November—The MoneyTech Summit concluded with Kuwaiti based firms and global technology firms exploring opportunities in technology, the future of finance and payments, and investing into school curriculums, supporting digitalisation of the future workforce.
Sultanate of Oman
Monday, 11 November—In collaboration with Oman Lens Company, the Sultanate launched the first Omani satellite, named OL-1, which specialises in remote sensing and monitoring environmental conditions. The launch is a part of the Oman Vision 2040 which envisages satellite launches, development of new technologies, and enhancement of data analysis with strategic partners.
State of Qatar
Wednesday, 6 November—Qatar Tourism announced that the number of visitors in the first ten months of 2024 have increased by 26% compared to the same period last year. This increase is also reflected in the significant growth of Qatar’s hospitality sector, which now includes over 40,000 hotel keys. These developments align with Qatar’s goal of diversifying its economy.
Tuesday, 12 November—As part of a government reshuffle, Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, appointed the CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Mansour Ibrahim al-Mahmoud, as the new Minister of Health, while making Mohammed Saif Saeed Al-Suwaidi the QIA’s new CEO. Other appointments included: Faisal bin Thani Al-Thani, who previously served as the Chairman of Ooredoo, as the new Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater, the former Minister of State for International Cooperation, as the new Minister of Education.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Monday, 11 November—The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Center of Digital Entrepreneurship launched the LogisTech Challenge which will conclude on 21 January 2025. Participants in the competition gain access to training programs and mentoring sessions, supporting the development of practical solutions in the logistics sector, specifically fleet improvement and sustainability, alternative delivery and commerce solutions, and data-driven logistics intelligence.
United Arab Emirates
Thursday, 7 November—The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s logistics arm, ADNOC Logistics & Services, is set to expand its fleet by signing contracts with a number of international companies worth $4.4 billion. The contracts include the construction of 10 new LNG carriers, 9 very large ethane carriers, and 4 very large ammonia carriers.
EU Corner
Thursday, 7 November—The Ambassadors of Kuwait, Oman and Qatar to EU and the EU Special Representative for the Gulf Region, Luigi Di Maio, took part in a meeting on the future of European-GCC relations, hosted by the Francophone Circle for European Affairs.
Sunday, 10 November—The Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah Diplomatic Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the College of Europe in Bruges to strengthen cooperation between Kuwait and the EU on diplomatic training, expertise sharing, and addressing global challenges.
Key Official Visits& Contacts
Wednesday, 6 November—Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, met with Iraq’s Minister of Defence, Thabet Muhammed Al-Attiyah, in Doha to discuss topics of mutual interest and the strengthening of their bilateral relations.
Thursday, 7 November—Oman’s Commander of the Royal Army, Mattar Salim Al-Balushi, met with the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, Alexander Fomin, to discuss military cooperation.
Thursday, 7 November—Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, met with the United Kingdom’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Faulkner, in London to discuss bilateral relations, de-escalation in Lebanon and Gaza, and other issues of common interest.
Thursday, 7 November—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, received the Advisor to the French President for the Middle East and North Africa, Anne-Claire Legendre, in Riyadh to discuss the ongoing developments in Gaza and Lebanon as well as exploring ways to enhance bilateral relations.
Friday, 8 November—Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, held a phone call with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, discussing ongoing efforts to address the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.
Saturday, 9 November—The UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, held a phone call with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to discuss the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan and their humanitarian consequences.
Monday, 11 November—The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (commonly referred to as COP29) commenced in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the participation of officials from the GCC countries. The summit, which will conclude on 22 November, seeks to address key issues related to climate change.
Monday, 11 November—The Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit, hosted in Riyadh, concluded with the 57 participating states, including the GCC members, adopting a resolution on the conflict in Gaza, calling for a return to the pre-1967 borders and a demand for Israel to withdraw from all Palestinian territories. On the sidelines of the Summit, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, met with Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Monday, 11 November—Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, held a phone call with Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss bilateral relations, the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit, and the situation in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
Monday, 11 November—On the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Al-Yahya, met with the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, to discuss enhancing bilateral relations in various sectors.
Tuesday, 12 November—Bahrain and Montenegro signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in science, innovation and technology during the visit of Montenegro’s Prime Minister, Milojko Spajic, to Manama.
Tuesday, 12 November—UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, visited Kuwait for the first time as part of a wider Gulf tour. During his meetings with Kuwaiti officials, Falconer discussed defence, security and investment cooperation as well as the situation in Gaza and Lebanon and the need for deescalation in the region. After Kuwait, he will visit Saudi Arabia.