5 Top Points
- The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Switzerland, the US, the African Union and the United Nations issued joint statements on Sudan and the talks in Geneva.
- Qatar, Egypt and the United States announced that their senior officials would meet for a new round of Gaza talks in Cairo.
- Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom agreed to cooperate on shared defence, economic and security interests.
- Kuwait and China discussed energy cooperation and joint renewable energy projects.
- Oman temporarily banned hiring expat workers for 13 professions starting from 1 September 2024 as part of Omanisation efforts.
‘Round and About the Gulf’
Kingdom of Bahrain
Wednesday, 14 August—Bahrain’s state-owned Bapco Energies secured a $500 million loan guarantee from the US Export-Import Bank to expand and develop the Bahrain Oil Field in the south of the country.
Thursday, 15 August—Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa issued Royal Order 32, establishing the King Hamad Award for Peaceful Coexistence to be awarded biennially to individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to the dialogue of civilisations and peaceful coexistence. The award will be chaired by the King and will be supervised by the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence.
State of Kuwait
Tuesday, 20 August—Kuwait is making progress in implementing the $3.5 billion oil-contaminated soil rehabilitation project after numerous delays. It is one of the world’s largest remediation projects, aiming to treat more than 8.5 million tonnes of soil that was contaminated during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990-1991) which burned around 700 oil wells. The project, which is linked to the United Nations Compensation Committee, is about 54% complete, after clearing more than 25 square kilometres of contamination and around 55 square kilometres of unexploded ordnance.
Sultanate of Oman
Thursday, 15 August—Oman suspended issuing permits for expat workers in 13 professions in the private sector for six months starting from 1 September 2024 as part of its Omanisation efforts, which seek to prioritise the employment of Omani nationals. The provision will concern general construction workers, cleaners, loading and unloading workers, bricklayers, steel fixers, tailors, electricians, waiters, painters, chefs and barbers.
Monday, 19 August—The Spain Oman Private Equity Fund (SOPEF), a joint venture between Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, the Oman Investment Authority, and the Spanish state-owned trading company Cofides, announced plans to invest 40 million EUR in the subsidiary of Making Science Group, a Spanish-based digital marketing and technology company, specialised in providing advanced solutions in data analytics, ad campaign optimisation and user experience personalisation. The SOPEF fund, which was created in October 2023, intends to promote investment in Spanish companies with high growth potential, namely in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, technology, infrastructure and healthcare.
State of Qatar
Friday, 16 August—Qatar, Egypt and the United States released a joint statement saying that their senior officials would meet in Cairo before the end of the following week in a new round of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza. According to the statement, the US, with the support of Qatar and Egypt, presented a bridging proposal that narrowed the remaining gaps between the points of agreement reached over the week between Israel and Hamas.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, 20 August—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the UAE, United States, the African Union and the United Nations issued several joint statements on the situation in Sudan and the Sudan Talks held in Geneva. They welcomed the decision by the Sudanese Armed Forces to open the Adre border crossing with Chad for three months to enable the flow of aid to the Darfur region and welcomed the Rapid Support Forces’ commitment to cooperate with humanitarian aid deliveries, notably through the crucial Dabbah route to Darfur and Kordofan, and to protect humanitarian personnel. They also said they intend to meet the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) delegation as soon as they arrive or contact them in any way they choose.
United Arab Emirates
Friday, 16 August—The UAE announced the successful launch of the country’s first Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US. The satellite was launched by Bayanat AI, Al-Yah Satellite Communications Company, in partnership with ICEYE, as part of the Earth Observation Space Programme.
EU Corner
Wednesday, 14 August—The European Union released a statement saying that ‘the Houthis’ storming of the local Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Sanaa constitutes yet another escalation, following the wave of detentions by the Houthis of personnel of the United Nations (UN), international and national non-governmental organisations (INGOs), and diplomatic missions in Yemen more than two months ago’. The European Union also endorsed the call by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to the Houthis to respect the UN’s privileges and immunities and return the premises and the equipment seized.
Key Official Visits& Contacts
Tuesday, 13 August—Oman’s Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs, Khalifa Ali Al-Harthy, held talks with Libya’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Mohamed Khalil Issa, in Muscat regarding ways to enhance bilateral relations and the latest political developments in Libya.
Wednesday, 14 August—Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, was on an official visit in London for the first official talks with his new British counterpart, David Lammy. They agreed to cooperate on shared defence, economic and security interests, including efforts to defuse tensions in the region and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.
Wednesday, 14 August—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, held separate phone calls with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, regarding the developments in Gaza and the mediation efforts to end the war and defusing regional tensions. The next day, the Qatari official also spoke about those issues with Iran’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Bagheri Kani.
Wednesday, 14 August—A Bahraini high-level delegation travelled to Malaysia to discuss bilateral cooperation in economy, finance and tourism with Malaysian officials, including the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Dato’ Sri Tiong King Sing. The Bahraini delegation included Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy, Salman bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa; Minister of Tourism, Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi; President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa; and the CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), Sara Ahmed Buhiji.
Wednesday, 14 August—Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, received a telephone call from his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and its security and humanitarian consequences, including the efforts to end the war and regional de-escalation. The next day, the Saudi Foreign Minister discussed the issue also with his new Dutch counterpart, Caspar Veldkamp, over phone.
Friday, 16 August—The UAE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, Omar Al-Suwaidi, attended the 8th BRICS Industry Ministers Meeting, which brought together ministries from the UAE, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia and South Africa, and announced the launch of the Centre for Industrial Competences in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to support the development of industrial skills and capabilities.
Sunday, 18 August—Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, received a phone call from the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, which centred on the situation in the Gaza Strip, Sudan and Yemen.
Sunday, 18 August—UAE’s Minister of State, Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan, met with Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taye Atsekelasie, in Addis Ababa to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation. Both officials also attended the signing ceremony of the Aysha-1 wind project agreement, which is considered to be the largest wind energy project in the Horn of Africa and will be built in partnership with the UAE company, AMEA Power.
Sunday, 18 August—India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, arrived in Kuwait for talks with several officials, including Crown Prince Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, as part of efforts to enhance India’s relations with Kuwait and the GCC.
Monday, 19 August—Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, received his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, in Riyadh. Their talks focused on bilateral relations and regional and international developments, particularly the efforts to end the war in Gaza. It came ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Egypt, where he arrived from Israel, amid push to restart the negotiations to reach the ceasefire and hostage release deal. Blinken then also travelled to Qatar.
Monday, 19 August—Kuwait’s Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy and Minister of State for Housing, Mahmoud Bushehri, received a Chinese delegation to discuss bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and renewable energy projects in Kuwait, namely the plans to complete phases 3 and 4 for the Al Shagaya renewable energy station.
Tuesday, 20 August—UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, discussed over phone bilateral relations and cooperation, particularly in the economic, trade and investment fields, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
Tuesday, 20 August—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand focused on enhancing cooperation, particularly in economy, energy, investment and trade.
Tuesday 20 August—UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, congratulated Caspar Veldkamp on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands during a phone call in which they also reviewed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them as well as the developments in the Middle East.