5 Top Points
- The EU and GCC officials held a series of high-level meetings on efforts to revive the Middle East political peace process and agreed to strengthen ties.
- France and UAE agreed to cooperate on developing Artificial Intelligence (AI).
- Bahrain’s King voiced support for normalising Bahrain-Iran relations.
- Oman’s Foreign Minister led a delegation to Tehran for talks with the Interim Foreign Minister and Acting President.
- UAE’s President confirmed his participation in the 50th G7 Summit to be held in Puglia, Italy.
‘Round and About the Gulf
Kingdom of Bahrain
Thursday, 23 May—Bahrain’s King, Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, voiced support for normalising Bahrain-Iran relations. It came during his visit to Russia, where he met with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the results of the 33rd Arab Summit held in Bahrain and invited him to attend a Middle East peace conference that will be hosted by Manama. On the occasion, Bahrain and Russia signed several Memoranda of Understanding, notably on cooperation in healthcare, pharmaceutical manufacturing, transportation and transit on the International North-South Transport Corridor, diplomatic training, and culture. During the visit, King Hamad also met with Rustam Minnikhanov, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan, and Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic. King Hamad later travelled to China.
State of Kuwait
Wednesday, 22 May—Kuwait, Jordan and Slovenia announced the launch of the initiative of shared commitments on UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The initiative, which aims to reaffirm support to the ‘vital role of UNRWA in providing assistance to generations of Palestinian refugees’ and is open to all other UN Member States to join, includes also Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Guyana, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa and Spain.
Sultanate of Oman
Thursday, 23 May—Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism hosted the 50th meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East in Muscat titled ‘Investing in Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainable Financing’. The event highlighted the priorities of the Commission, including medical tourism, tourism investment and means of funding joint regional tourism products. The meeting also discussed shared challenges to the advancement of the tourism sector across the region, with the main focus on sustainable solutions and investments as a tool to help boost local economic growth.
State of Qatar
Wednesday, 22 May—Qatar raised $2.5 billion through its first issued green bond, which included a $1 billion five-year bond and a $1.5 billion ten-year bond, both above the US treasury bonds. Qatar’s Finance Minister, Ali Al-Kuwari, earlier emphasised the symbolic importance of the green bond issuance as a way to signal the country’s efforts to tackle climate change.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sunday, 26 May—Saudi Arabia appointed Faisal Al-Mujfel as its first Ambassador to Syria since 2012.
Sunday, 26 May—Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, stressed that the only way to ensure the security of both the Palestinian people and Israel is through a two-state solution, which would contribute to a long-term peace and security in the region. He was positive about the talks with international partners regarding ways to reinvigorate the political process and strengthen the Palestinian Authority (PA). He noted that countries can take steps to help boost the viability of the two-state solution, including by recognising Palestine and helping to strengthen the state institutions within the PA so that it can live up to its responsibilities, such as ensuring security of its neighbours. He expressed the hope that the Israeli government will recognise that the two-state solution is in its interest, saying: ‘we will build a lighthouse and we will light the light, and we hope that eventually Israel will come to the shore of security and peace for all of us.’
United Arab Emirates
Wednesday, 22 May—France and UAE agreed to cooperate on developing Artificial Intelligence (AI), aiming to focus on establishing data centres, production of semiconductors, and training. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Bruno Le Maire, and Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and member of the Abu Dhabi Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC), Khaldoon Khalifa Al-Mubarak. It comes as the UAE’s G42 and Microsoft cemented an agreement to invest $1 billion to build a geothermal data centre in Kenya.
EU Corner
Wednesday, 22 May—Ireland, Norway and Spain declared they will recognise the State of Palestine on 28 May.
Thursday, 23 May—The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, welcomed ‘the return of Ukrainian children from Russia to their families and communities in Ukraine as a result of continued Qatari mediation.’
Sunday, 26 May—The EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, hosted the Ministerial International Partners Meeting on Palestine in Brussels, chaired by Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide. During the meeting, the Palestinian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Mustafa, presented his government’s reform plans, including a comprehensive plan for Gaza and a programme to strengthen Palestinian institutions and develop the Palestinian economy. The meeting was attended by Australia, Canada, Egypt, European Union, France, Germany, International Monetary Fund, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Office of the Quartet, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, United Kingdom, United States and World Bank.
Sunday, 26 May—Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, and his Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide, in cooperation with the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, co-chaired a joint Arab-European Ministerial Meeting in Brussels. It was held as a follow up to a previous Riyadh meeting (29 April) on efforts to implement the two-state solution, including the recognition of the Palestinian State, emphasising the support for efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire, release all hostages, and end the war in the Gaza Strip. The meeting included Ministers and representatives from Algeria, Arab League, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the UAE, the UK, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Monday, 27 May—Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE and the Secretary General of the Arab League participated in the EU Foreign Affairs Council to continue discussions about ways to: deal with the situation in Gaza, support the Palestinian Authority, and revitalise the political process leading to a two-state solution. It was agreed that to help with the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the EU will explore options for the reactivation of its Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah). The EU Ministers also agreed to reiterate EU’s demand on Israel to: implement the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice, stop blocking the funding for the Palestinian Authority, and not declare UNRWA as a terrorist organisation, which would hinder its work.
Monday, 27 May—The European Council President, Charles Michel, spoke to Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, over phone, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to strengthen EU-GCC relations including through a summit of EU and GCC leaders to be held later this year.
Tuesday, 28 May—Qatar’s Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Hanzab, received the visiting EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber, to discuss the developments in the Horn of Africa and efforts to support Somalia.
Key Official Visits & Contacts
Tuesday, 21 May—Saudi Arabia and Japan agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership Council during a meeting between Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Kishida Fumio, which was held virtually amid King Salman’s health issues. They discussed efforts to internationally recognise the Palestinian state and bilateral cooperation, notably regarding oil supply and clean energy, investments and trade, construction, power transmission, hydrogen utilisation, food, agriculture, space, digital, tourism, culture, including the hosting of Expo (Japan 2025 and Saudi Arabia 2030), among others.
Wednesday, 22 May—Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Foreign Ministers of other GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia’s Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Bahrain’s Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Kuwait’s Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, UAE’s Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, travelled to Tehran to convey the Gulf countries’ leaders’ condolences and to attend the funeral of the late Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi. The Omani delegation included Minister of Information, Abdullah Nasser Al-Harrasi, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Maamari, and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Khalifa Alharthy. Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and representatives of the Houthis and Hezbollah also took part in the funeral.
Wednesday, 22 May—Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, met with China’s Minister of Defence, Admiral Dong Jun, at the headquarters of the Chinese Defense Ministry in Beijing.
Wednesday, 22 May—Oman’s Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said, arrived in Jordan for a two-day visit, which included talks with King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein regarding bilateral cooperation and the situation in the Gaza Strip and the need for an immediate ceasefire. The Sultan’s accompanying delegation included Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, Shihab bin Tarik Al-Said; Sultan’s son, Bilarab bin Haitham Al-Said; Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi; and Chairman of the Oman Investment Authority, Abdussalam bin Mohammed Al-Murshidi. On the sidelines, the Jordanian Social Security Investment Fund and the Oman Investment Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for joint investments and new projects in Jordan.
Thursday, 23 May—UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State, Ahmed bin Ali Al-Sayegh, and Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, attended the opening of the UAE’s new embassy in Riga, the capital of Latvia.
Thursday, 23 May—The China-GCC Forum on Investment and Industrial Cooperation took place in Xiamen, China, in a bid to deepen China-GCC cooperation in the investment and industrial fields. It was attended by the GCC Secretary General, Ministers of Industry and Investment and senior leaders of industry and investment policy makers in the GCC countries and China. The GCC Secretary General, Jasem Al-Budaiwi, noted that ‘the conditions for establishing the GCC-Chinese strategic partnership are ripe, based on political trust, mutual respect and strong understanding.’
Thursday, 23 May—The Middle East conflict and ways to expand bilateral economic cooperation were on the top of the agenda during talks between the Austrian Foreign Minister, Alexander Schallenberg, his accompanying delegation, and Saudi Arabian officials, including Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, and Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim, in Riyadh.
Saturday, 25 May—In Stockholm, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater, held separate talks regarding the latest developments in Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine with Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tobias Billstrom, State Secretary for International Development Cooperation, Diana Janse, Third Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and a member of its Foreign Relations Committee, Kerstin Lundgren, and officials from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). During the week, Al-Khater also met with officials in Belgium, Norway and Spain, among others.
Saturday, 25 May—The French President, Emmanuel Macron, received a delegation of the Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza, led by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, in Paris on its 11th stop. On the occasion, the Saudi Foreign Minister also met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné. The Ministerial Committee then continued to Brussels and Madrid.
Monday, 27 May—Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, led a delegation of Omani officials to Tehran, where they held talks with Iran’s Acting President, Mohammad Mokhber, and the Interim Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani. They agreed to continue to cooperate on ending the war in Gaza and providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. On the occasion, the Omani Minister also met with the family of the late Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Monday, 27 May—Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, travelled to Cyprus for talks with President, Nikos Christodoulides, concerning ways to strengthen bilateral ties, notably in the fields of energy, industry and investments, and the situation in Gaza. The Emir was accompanied by several Qatari officials, including Minister of Transportation, Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti; Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi; Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani; and Minister of Culture, Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani. The next day, the Qatari delegation arrived in Greece.
Tuesday, 28 May—UAE’s President, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, arrived in South Korea for his first state visit. He is set to meet with South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, to discuss the deepening of bilateral ties, notably in defence industry cooperation, business and investment opportunities, and energy initiatives.
Tuesday, 28 May—UAE’s President, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, confirmed his participation in the 50th G7 Summit to be held in Puglia, Italy, between 13-15 June.