As the clean energy transition takes off, the region’s biggest players are making sure they have a seat at the table. Oil may be the lifeblood of many Middle Eastern economies, but some of the region’s biggest players are now setting their sights on another booming energy sector: critical minerals. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt,...
Tag: SaudiArabia
Why Did the UAE Come to Assad’s Aid and Ease Syria’s Isolation?
While so much attention is focused on Israel’s war in Gaza and its shockwaves across the Middle East, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government is steadily reintegrating into the Arab world, despite still being shunned by the West as a pariah. Since Syria made its full-fledged return to the Arab League in May 2023, when Assad...
How much of the UK are we willing to sell to the ‘dear friends’ of Putin?
Whether to allow the UAE to invest in British nuclear – and newspapers – is a national security question. There aren’t many countries in the world willing to roll out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin, but the Emiratis did so with gusto when he visited Abu Dhabi last month. They laid on a 21-gun salute as...
The Hidden Rivalry of Saudi Arabia and the UAE
The two countries look like allies—but are increasingly regional competitors. The Israel-Hamas war unfolded amid an apparent regional trend of peaceful coexistence. The Middle East’s transformation along these lines has been represented by the seemingly ever-closer alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as symbolized by the apparent friendship between their respective de...
Russian Media Outlet Reviews Russia’s 2023 Middle East Diplomacy: ‘Russia Has Become The Wisest Player In The Middle East’
“The UAE Has Become Russia’s Main Trading Partner In The Arab Region” “Russia’s policy in the Middle East in 2023 was particularly active. Moscow managed to improve relations with Arab countries and Iran, strengthen dialogue with Turkey and maintain normal relations with Israel. All this was the result of strict adherence to the two diplomatic...
What does Putin want from the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia last week in a bid to expand relations with the two oil-rich states and show that he isn’t as isolated as he has been portrayed by the West. The Russian dictator’s visit to the two Gulf states was only the second time he...
Putin trolls COP28 with oil talks next door
His presence presented a symbolic split screen: Global climate talks in one frame, Putin’s oil negotiations in the other. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — While everyone else was trying to rescue the world from climate catastrophe, Vladimir Putin was negotiating Russia’s oil exports down the road. As the COP28 climate talks in Dubai reached their...
Kremlin says OPEC+ cuts will kick in later, confirms Putin to visit Gulf
Oil production cuts agreed by the OPEC+ group will take time to kick in, the Kremlin said on Tuesday as it confirmed that President Vladimir Putin would visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Putin will also host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow the following day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said....
Sudan: With RSF backers UAE absent at peace talks, hope is dim
A new genocide is underway in Darfur, with Hemeti’s RSF picking up where they left off in 2003. Without their backers the UAE at the table, peace talks look problematic. Just days after the Sudanese army accepted an invitation to resume talks, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia, aimed at ending over six months...
Adnoc Distribution opens three service stations in Egypt in expansion push
Adnoc Distribution, the UAE’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, has opened three service stations in Greater Cairo and plans to launch another six in Egypt by the end of 2023 as part of its international expansion plans. This is the first time the company has opened its Adnoc branded service stations in Egypt. The move...