GULF REGION in December 2022

10 December 2022

The Arab-Chinese Riyadh summit… the race for progress and renaissance (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, confirmed at the conclusion of the Arab-Chinese Summit “We assure the whole world that the Arabs will race for progress and renaissance again, and we will prove that every day.”

The Arab-Chinese Summit: Emphasis on Strengthening the Strategic Partnership (Al Arabiya TV). The leaders of the Arab countries, members of the League of Arab States, and China held the first Arab-Chinese summit on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the aim of developing relations between the Arab and Chinese sides in various fields.

Saudi Foreign Minister: If Iran Obtains a Nuclear Weapon, the Countries of the Region will Seek to Ensure Their Own Security (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapon will lead to the efforts of the countries of the region to ensure their [own] security, and that the failure of the nuclear agreement with Iran will enter the region into a very dangerous stage.
UAE and Israel Ratify Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Al Arabiya). The agreement “will cancel or reduce fees on 96% of products, which will provide a strong boost to the Emirati industrial and service sectors.”

UAE Makes History with Successful Launch of Lunar Rover (Gulf news). The UAE’s and the Arab world’s first journey to land on the Moon began successfully on Sunday, with the triumphant launch of the Emirati-made Rashid Rover aboard a Japanese lunar lander sent to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Saudi Arabia and Britain Sign Defense Cooperation Pact (Al Sharq Al Awsat) Yesterday British Minister Ben Wallace received Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the Royal Cavalry Guard Square in London, where the two signed a joint plan to develop military capiblities and industry.

Aramco and Total Energies to Build $11 bln Saudi Petrochemicals Plant (Reuters). Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and Total Energies will join forces to build a new petrochemicals complex in Saudi Arabia, the French energy group said on Thursday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Says His Country Rejects Any Attack on Iraqi Territory (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed Saudi Arabia will stand with Iraq to preserve its stability and sovereignty, support its development efforts, restore its historical status as a land of civilization, science and knowledge, and advance it to a new stage in which national interest takes precedence over any other considerations.

France Seeks to Sell Defense Weapons to Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat). On Tuesday Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Minister of Defense, spoke with French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Licorne. The two reviewed their bilateral relations and discussed how to enhance their cooperation and joint coordination in the military and defense fields, in addition to discussing a number of issues of common interest.
UK Agrees to Develop Financial Services in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat). On Wednesday, Saudi Finance Minister Muhammad al-Jadaan and his British counterpart Jeremy Hunt met in London to sign a memorandum of understanding under which the UK will assist in developing the Kingdom’s financial and public financial services.
Islamic Countries Agree to a New Fight Against Corruption (Asharq Al-Awsat). Member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Tuesday adopted the draft resolution of the “Makkah Al-Mukarramah Agreement,” under which they will establish new mechanisms to combat corruption, including exchanging liaison officers to confront cross-border crimes.

Saudi Arabia Allows Christmas Celebrations, Announcing A New Era of Tolerance (Al Nahar). This year, Saudi Arabia celebrated Christmas in a different way, with authorities easing restrictions in recent years on the sale of holiday decorations. While congratulating non-Muslim holidays is still a controversial issue for the hard-line clerics in the Kingdom, the statement of the head of the Association of Muslim Scholars in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Issa, emphasized that there is no legal text prohibiting congratulating Christians on Christmas.

Saudi Arabia was world’s largest development donor in 2021 (Asharq Al-Awsat) Saudi Arabia topped donor countries in providing official development assistance (humanitarian and development) to low- and middle-income countries in 2021, with an amount of 26.71 billion Saudi riyals (equivalent to $7.12 billion), according to data published by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
A rare fall of hail creates an unprecedented snow scene in Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat) Hail fell on areas in southern Kuwait, in a rare phenomenon that meteorologists said that the Gulf country, known for its high temperatures in the summer, had not witnessed for nearly two decades.
Iran Reportedly Trafficking Stolen Yemeni Antiquities (Al Hadath). The Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani, warned today, Wednesday, of what he described as the involvement of the Iranian regime and the Houthis in “organized looting” of antiquities in areas under Houthi control and “smuggling” them for trade abroad. Al-Eryani said that the Iranian regime is doing this “under the cover of fake projects within its scheme to obliterate Yemeni archaeological sites, bulldoze national identity and erase Yemeni history.”