5 Top Points
- Oman and Bulgaria eye closer energy cooperation, including on LNG supplies.
- Saudi Arabia and Switzerland co-hosted Sudan talks with the US under the newly established ALPS group.
- European Council President arrived in Doha for talks regarding EU-Qatar relations and the first EU-GCC Summit scheduled for 16 October.
- Bahrain’s Crown Prince met with British Prime Minister in London.
- Croatia and the UAE seek to boost bilateral ties as the former readies to open an embassy in Abu Dhabi.
‘Round and About the Gulf’
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tuesday, 27 August—Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, met with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, in London. The meeting was also attended by Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy, Salman bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, among others, and focused on aspects of bilateral partnership.
State of Kuwait
Sunday, 25 August—Kuwait’s Emir named Nora Suleiman Al-Fassam and Khalifa Abdullah Ajeel as the country’s new Finance and Trade Ministers respectively, as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Al-Fassam, who comes from the banking sector, was also appointed Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs.
Sultanate of Oman
Tuesday, 27 August—Oman and Bulgaria plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote energy cooperation, including in hydrocarbons, hydrogen, renewable energy production and storage, and Omani investments in Bulgaria, in the next few weeks. It stems from a recent meeting between Bulgaria’s Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, and Oman’s Minister of Energy and Minerals, Salim Al-Aufi. They discussed the possibility of supplying liquified natural gas (LNG) from Oman to Bulgaria and potential cooperation in hydrogen supply.
State of Qatar
Tuesday, 27 August—Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry imposed final anti-dumping duties on imports of certain types of automotive batteries originating from or exported from South Korea and India.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Friday, 23 August—Between 14-23 August 2024, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland co-hosted talks with the United States regarding Sudan in Geneva, under the newly established ALPS group (Aligned to Advance Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan), which includes also Egypt, the UAE, the African Union and the United Nations.
United Arab Emirates
Thursday, 22 August—The UAE Minister of Justice, Abdullah bin Sultan Al-Nuaimi, and Italy’s Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, held a phone call during which they discussed judicial cooperation and the extradition of Danilo Coppola, an Italian national convicted of financial crimes, from the UAE to Italy in line with the two countries’ bilateral extradition treaty. They also agreed on regular updates on priority requests and maintaining channels of communication between central authorities.
Saturday, 24 August—The UAE Foreign Ministry announced it successfully mediated a new exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the release of 230 captives, bringing the total number of captives exchanged through UAE mediation efforts to 1,788.
EU Corner
Wednesday, 21 August—The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, discussed regional developments and efforts to defuse tensions over phone.
Tuesday, 27 August—President of the European Council, Charles Michel, arrived in Doha for talks with Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, regarding EU-Qatar relations and the preparations for the first EU-GCC Summit on 16 October 2024 under the Qatari Presidency of the GCC.
Key Official Visits& Contacts
Thursday, 22 August—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, concluded his visit to Australia and New Zealand. In Canberra, he met with Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and other officials, to discuss enhancing bilateral ties in defence, economy, trade, investment, energy, aviation and technology. In Wellington, he met with New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, focusing on ways to boost cooperation in economy, trade, aviation, energy, and technology research. All meetings also dealt with regional tensions, the Gaza ceasefire negotiations and the situation in Afghanistan.
Thursday, 22 August—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, travelled to Baghdad, where he held talks with Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein. The officials discussed ways to enhance the Iraq-Saudi relations, especially in political, diplomatic and economic areas, and activating the Iraqi-Saudi Coordination Council to promote mutual interests, along with the situation in Gaza and the heightened regional tensions.
Thursday, 22 August—Bahrain’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Consular and Administrative Affairs, Isa Nasser Al-Nuaimi, met with the Philippines’ Undersecretary for Administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Morales, to discuss the establishment of Bahrain’s embassy in Manila.
Sunday, 25 August—In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, received Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konakovic, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and boost cooperation.
Sunday, 25 August—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, congratulated Abbas Araghchi on his new position as Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the phone call, the two officials also exchanged views on the regional situation and the developments in Gaza.
Monday, 26 August—Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defence, Khalid bin Salman Al-Saud, met with Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Doha. The talks were also attended from the Saudi side by Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, Saleh Al-Jasser, and Director-General of the Office of the Minister of Defence, Hisham bin Abdulaziz bin Saif, and from the Qatari side by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Khalid Al-Attiyah, Chief of the Emiri Diwan, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Minister of Transport, Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti.
Monday, 26 August—Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in Riyadh. He was welcomed by Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport.
Monday, 26 August—Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, travelled to Ulaanbaatar, where he met with his Mongolian counterpart, Batmunkh Battsetseg. They discussed means to enhance bilateral relations, notably in economy, trade and investments. The two countries’ Foreign Ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations and agreed to sign a visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passport holders. It was the first visit of an Omani government official since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.
Monday, 26 August—Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, travelled to Tehran for talks with Iran’s new Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, and Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian. They reviewed bilateral ties, regional security and stability and efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. The Iranian officials welcomed Qatar’s mediation efforts to end the war.
Monday, 26 August—During a ceremony in Kuwait City, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and CEO of QatarEnergy, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, and the Deputy Chairman and CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Nawaf Saud Al-Nasir Al-Sabah, signed an agreement for the supply of up to 3 million tonnes per annum of of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Qatar to Kuwait starting from 2025. It came amid a power crisis that led Kuwait to impose scheduled outages in some areas due to gas supplies disruptions.
Monday, 26 August—Bahrain and France discussed ways to strengthen youth cooperation, including joint initiatives to empower and skill youth and exchange expertise. It came during a virtual meeting between Bahrain’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Rawan bint Najeeb Tawfiqi, and France’s Minister of State for Youth, Childhood, and Families, Sarah El-Haïry.
Monday, 26 August—UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, was in Zagreb for talks with Croatian officials regarding ways to boost cooperation, including in economic, investment, renewable energy, and tourism fields. He met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, and the Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, who announced Croatia’s intention to open an embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Tuesday, 27 August—Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, met with his Nepali counterpart, Arzu Rana Deuba, in Kathmandu, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral economic and cultural ties.