5 Top Points
- Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE attended the expanded ministerial meeting of the G7 in Italy to discuss ceasefire efforts in Lebanon and Gaza.
- During the G20 Summit, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met with heads of state from Egypt, France, and Italy.
- The Secretary General of the GCC met with members of the EU Political and Security Committee in Riyadh.
- The Saudi-Chinese-Iranian Joint Tripartite Committee held its second meeting in Riyadh to review the implementation of the Beijing Agreement from March 2023.
- Kuwait’s Emir held a phone call with the US President-elect.
‘Round and About the Gulf
Kingdom of Bahrain
Sunday, 24 November—The Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that the first phase of Resolution 43 of 2024 regarding payments related to commercial transactions of commercial establishments will enter into effect on 13 December 2024. This resolution requires commercial businesses, including virtual shops, to open a commercial bank account for their commercial transactions and businesses to provide electronic payment services approved by the Central Bank of Bahrain. This is meant to enhance economic and technological developments. The second phase of the resolution will be implemented on 13 June 2025.
State of Kuwait
Tuesday, 20 November—Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Jarah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, chaired a preparatory meeting for the upcoming 45th GCC Summit which will be hosted by Kuwait on 1 December 2024.
Monday, 25 November—The Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched the final version of the electronic real estate broker system that covers all real estate sectors. This system aims to provide accurate pricing information for traded properties and combat money laundering in the real estate market. It will go into effect on 2 December 2024.
Sultanate of Oman
Sunday, 24 November—During the Green Build Oman 2024 conference, Oman’s leading provider of energy efficiency services and decarbonisation solutions, Hasa Energy, signed the country’s first energy services performance company (ESCO) contract with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning. This six-year agreement aims to reduce energy consumption by 39% across Ministry buildings. This comes as Oman’s energy efficiency sector is estimated at RO 900 million (€2.2 billion).
State of Qatar
Friday, 22 November—The Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the US Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection, launched the Electronic Travel Authorisation System (ESTA) for Qatari citizens who can now travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. This is based on an agreement from September, which made Qatar the first Arab country to be admitted into the US visa waiver programme. In return, US citizens have been allowed visa-free stays in Qatar for up to 90 days since 1 October.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thursday, 21 November—The President of the Saudi Water Authority, Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, revealed that the Kingdom’s production of desalinated water has reached 15 million cubic metres per day, which almost equals the quantities of the global oil production in 2023. This reflects Saudi Arabia’s efforts to become a pioneer in the desalination industry, since freshwater demand has been rising in recent years as a consequence of climate change.
United Arab Emirates
Friday, 22 November—The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, MASDAR, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Silk Road Fund to explore options for co-investment into renewable energy projects in Belt and Road Initiative countries, particularly in the Global South. Expanding its investments in the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, will help Masdar reach a renewable energy capacity of 100MWh by 2030.
Monday, 25 November—The UAE Cabinet, chaired by Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, approved the Union General Budget Plan for the fiscal year 2025, with estimated expenditures and revenues of AED 71.5 billion (€18.5 billion), making it the largest federal budget in the country’s history.
EU Corner
Tuesday, 19 November—The Second EU-Oman Human Rights Dialogue was held in Brussels, covering human rights developments, such as labour rights, women empowerment, gender equality, freedom of expression and assembly, and rule of law. The EU commended Oman’s progress in ensuring human rights with the Social Protection Fund Law and labour legislation that also aligns with the Oman Vision 2040. The next Human Rights Dialogue will be held in Muscat in 2025.
Wednesday, 20 November—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Justice, Walid Al-Samaani, met with Eurojust’s President, Michael Schmid, during his visit at the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) in The Hague. Both parties discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the judicial and legal sectors to promote justice and human rights.
Thursday, 21 November—The Ambassador of Qatar to EU and NATO, Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al-Malki, met with the Managing Director for the Middle and North Africa, Helene Le Gal, at the European External Action Services (EEAS) to discuss ways to enhance Qatari-European relations.
Sunday, 24 November—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Climate Envoy, Adel Al-Jubeir, received the Chair of the EU Political and Security Committee, Delphine Pronk, and EU Special Representative for the Gulf region, Luigi Di Maio, to discuss environmental cooperation and foreign policy developments in Europe and the Middle East.
Monday, 25 November—The Secretary General of the GCC, Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, met with members of the EU’s Political and Security Committee, including the Chair of the Committee, Delphine Pronk, and the EU Special Representative for the Gulf region, Luigi Di Maio, in Riyadh. Both parties discussed their recommitment to the EU-GCC Summit outcomes that aim to enhance political coordination and strengthen economic and trade sectors, as well as a two-state solution in accordance with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.
Key Official Visits & Contacts
Tuesday, 19 November—Kuwait’s Emir, Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, held a phone call with US President-elect, Donald Trump, to discuss future bilateral cooperation in the economic, defence, and security fields, as well as reviewing international and regional developments. The Emir invited the US President-elect to visit Kuwait.
Tuesday, 19 November—On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, held separate meetings with the Presidents of Egypt and France, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Emmanuel Macron, and Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. The meetings concerned bilateral relations and issues pertaining to the agenda of the G20 Summit, held under the slogan ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet’. The next day, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, met with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Saudi-Brazilian Coordination Council.
Tuesday, 19 November—The Saudi-Chinese-Iranian Joint Tripartite Committee held its second meeting in Riyadh, to review the implementation of the Beijing Agreement from March 2023, which restored diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Waleed Elkhereiji, while the Chinese and Iranian delegations were headed by China’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Li, and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Majid Takht Ravanchi. Saudi Arabia and Iran expressed readiness to sign a double taxation avoidance agreement, and all three countries discussed ways to strengthen economic and political cooperation. Finally, they called for humanitarian aid and immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon and a political solution in Yemen.
Tuesday, 19 November—Kuwait’s Ambassador to Austria, Talal Al-Fassam, met with several senior officials, including the Governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer, to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation in key sectors, including technology, sustainable energy, education, and health.
Thursday, 21 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. They discussed efforts to achieve ceasefires and protection of civilians in the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan along with other issues of mutual interest. The next day, Blinken also spoke to Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidy, to discuss regional developments in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Friday, 22 November—The UAE and Albania launched their inaugural Joint Economic Committee to strengthen cooperation in key areas, including renewable energy, logistics, infrastructure, agriculture, food security, and technology. The meeting was held in Tirana and attended by a number of officials from each country, most notably the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, and Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku.
Friday, 22 November—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defence, Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, received the State Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sweden, Johan Staurt, to discuss ways to enhance defence cooperation and address issues of mutual interest.
Saturday, 23 November—A delegation from Bahrain’s Ombuds Office, led by the Secretary-General, Ghada Hameed Habib, visited the Bulgarian Commission for Protection Against Discrimination and met with Bulgaria’s Vice President, Iliana Iotova. The meeting resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Bahrain Ombuds Office and the Bulgarian Commission for Protection Against Discrimination.
Monday, 25 November—Ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE attended for the first time the expanded G7 Ministerial Meeting in Italy, which aimed to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, notably the progress on a ceasefire agreements in Lebanon and Gaza and the subsequent peacekeeping efforts, as well as how to respond to the recent ICC arrest warrants issued against Israeli officials. On the sidelines of the G7 meeting, Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and the US also met to discuss the developments in Sudan.
Monday, 25 November—The President of the Bahrain’s Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, met with France’s Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, in Paris. Both parties discussed ways to enhance cultural cooperation while highlighting the joint agreement from 2019 that led to the Louvre Museum hosting the exhibition ‘From Dilmum to Tylos: An Archaeological Journey in the Kingdom of Bahrain’ in 2022. They also discussed how the French archeological mission to Bahrain contributes to advancing research and showcasing Bahrain’s culture and history.