5 Top Points
- Bahrain and Iran agreed to launch talks to resume diplomatic relations during Bahraini Foreign Minister’s visit to Tehran.
- Spain and Qatar held their inaugural bilateral strategic dialogue in Madrid.
- Saudi Arabia and France discussed ways to develop defence cooperation.
- The EU and the UAE held the 4th round of expert level Senior Officials’ Meetings in Brussels.
- Qatar and the Netherlands signed several cooperation agreements, including in trade and defence, during the Emir’s visit to the Netherlands.
‘Round and About the Gulf
Kingdom of Bahrain
Sunday, 23 June—Bahrain and Iran agreed to set up the required mechanisms to launch talks to resume diplomatic relations. The announcement came as Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, met with his acting Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani, on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue meeting in Tehran.
State of Kuwait
Saturday, 22 June—Kuwait Airways sent the first aircraft to evacuate Kuwaiti nationals from Lebanon amid military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. Kuwait called on its citizens to leave Lebanon and refrain from travelling to the country due to the security situation.
Tuesday, 25 June—The Kuwait Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, will open an office in Saudi Arabia to enhance bilateral trade and investment relations.
Sultanate of Oman
Wednesday, 19 June—The Chinese solar panel manufacturer, Hainan Drinda New Energy Technology, signed a provisional agreement with the Oman Investment Authority to establish the first photovoltaic cell project in Oman with an annual production capacity of 10 gigawatts (GW) solar cells. Hainan Drinda will invest around $700 million to build the high-efficiency photovoltaic cells plant.
State of Qatar
Friday, 21 June—Madrid hosted the inaugural Qatari-Spanish Strategic Dialogue aiming to discuss bilateral relations and ways to boost cooperation as well as regional developments, notably the Gaza war. It was co-chaired by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares. Qatar’s Prime Minister also met with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, and King Felipe VI of Spain. On the occasion, Qatar announced the establishment of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Chair for Teaching Arabic Language and Andalusian Heritage at the University of Granada, Spain, while Qatar Foundation and Albeniz Foundation agreed to establish a Research Chair of Arabic and Eastern Music at the Reina Sofia School of Music.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thursday, 20 June—Speaking at Chatham House’s London Conference, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Khalid bin Bandar Al-Saud, said that normalisation with Israel remained important to Saudi Arabia and other nations in the region because it would ensure regional stability and security. However, he stressed that Saudi Arabia will not normalise ties with Israel at the expense of Palestinian statehood.
Friday, 21 June—Saudi Arabia welcomed Armenia’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine.
United Arab Emirates
Wednesday, 19 June—The UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, issued federal decrees forming the UAE Council for Fatwa, which will serve as the official authority for issuing fatwas in the country, and appointing Abdullah bin Bayyah as Chairman of the Council with the rank of minister.
EU Corner
Thursday, 20 June—The EU and the UAE held the 4th round of expert level Senior Officials’ Meetings in Brussels, within the framework of the Cooperation Arrangement between the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The talks focused on cooperation in trade and investment, security and terrorism and violent extremism, climate change, green transition, development cooperation, humanitarian assistance, education, research, and innovation.
Thursday, 20 June—The EU adopted the 14th package of sanctions against Russia. It contains new energy-related measures targeting liquified natural gas (LNG) and measures targeting vessels which support Russia’s war in Ukraine, among others.
Monday, 24 June—The Council of the EU adopted sanctions against six individuals responsible for activities undermining the stability and political transition of Sudan—three linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and three to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their affiliated militias.
Tuesday, 25 June—The EU prolonged the mandates of two of its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) civilian missions, the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) and the European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS), until 30 June 2025.
Key Official Visits & Contacts
Wednesday, 19 June—Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, arrived in Qatar for a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. They primarily focused on regional deescalation and the situation in Gaza. Iran’s Foreign Minister then met with Hamas’ political leader in Doha, Ismail Haniyeh.
Friday, 21 June—Saudi Assistant Minister of Defence, Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi, and the Chief Executive of the French Defence Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Armed Forces, Emmanuel Chiva, co-chaired the 5th Saudi-French Defence Cooperation Committee meeting in Paris, aiming to discuss ways to develop bilateral defence cooperation, including in research and development and military industries.
Friday, 21 June—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, led the Kingdom’s delegation to the 4th Saudi-Swiss Financial Dialogue held in Zurich. Al-Jadaan and his Swiss counterpart, Karin Keller-Sutter, inaugurated the event, highlighting its importance in strengthening bilateral economic and financial ties.
Monday, 24 June—Oman and Russia held a session of political talks in Moscow, co-chaired by Oman’s Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs, Khalifa Ali Al-Harthy, and Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the President for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov. The meeting addressed bilateral relations and exchanged views on the war in Ukraine and Gaza, among other topics.
Monday 24 June—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, met with his British counterpart, David Cameron, in London. The talks focused on bilateral cooperation in investments and the situation in Ukraine, Gaza and Afghanistan. It came as Doha is set to host a United Nations conference on Afghanistan with the Taliban.
Monday, 24 June—Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, received a written message from Bulgaria’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitar Glavchev, regarding bilateral relations during a meeting with Bulgaria’s Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Nevyana Miteva and Maria Angulieva. On the occasion, the two sides discussed cooperation in economy, culture, energy and renewables, maritime transport and technology.
Monday, 24 June—Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, arrived in the Netherlands for talks on bilateral cooperation and the situation in the Gaza Strip. He met with King Willem-Alexander and the outgoing Prime Minister, Mark Rutte. The Qatari delegation included Chief of the Amiri Diwan, Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater. During the visit the two countries signed several agreements to expand cooperation, including in trade and investment, defence and international dispute mediation.
Tuesday, 25 June—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defence, Khalid bin Salman Al-Saud, led a delegation to China to discuss ways to strengthen military and defence cooperation and address regional and international conflicts. He met separately with China’s Minister of National Defence, Admiral Dong Jun, and Vice-Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, among others.