Economy and trade

View taken on Oct. 27, 2008, of the Israel Aerospace Industries booth at the world's leading trade show for naval and maritime safety, in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

France again bans Israeli firms from defense fair, deepening diplomatic rift

In another sign of deteriorating bilateral relations between Israel and France, Israeli companies will be prevented from featuring their products at the international maritime exposition Euronaval in Paris in November.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Oct. 15, 2024. — Saudi Press Agency

Egypt's Sisi hosts Saudi crown prince as Cairo looks to attract investment

Saudi's crown prince met with Egypt's president in Cairo on Tuesday, where the two oversaw the signing of an investment protection agreement and the creation of the Saudi-Egyptian Supreme Coordination Council.

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Albania to receive 'significant' number of drones from Turkey, PM says

Turkey pledged to send drones to Egypt earlier this year, while the Maldives recently unveiled two Bayraktar TB2 aircraft.

Tingshu Wang/Getty Images

UAE’s AD Ports Group inks major deal with China

Political and economic cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and China is growing, with robust trade ties and a visit by the Chinese premier to the Gulf state.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Las Vegas gambling operator Wynn Resorts to open first UAE casino

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

A year after Oct. 7, Israel’s economy battered by endless multifront wars

This picture shows closed shops in an alley of Jerusalem's Old City, on Sept. 11, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

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Analysis

Israel-UAE trade to hit $3.3B in 2024 as wars in Lebanon, Gaza continue

The flags of Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are projected on the ramparts of Jerusalem's Old City on September 15, 2020 in a show of support for Israeli normalisation deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed landmark accords normalizing the Jewish state's relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as part of a peace push brokered by US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, in the Oval Office on January 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. The two leaders were expected to discuss a range of issues, including global energy security as concerns about Russian natural gas supplies continue. (Photo by Tom Brenner-Pool/New York Times/Getty Images)

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Turkey’s Erdogan calls for end to US defense sanctions amid reports of S-400 deal

Relations between the two NATO allies have worsened in recent years over political rifts regarding the Eastern Mediterranean, Gaza and Syria, as well as over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems.

UAE's president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L), speaks with US President Joe Biden as they attend a session of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023.

UAE in 'realignment mode' as Mohammed bin Zayed heads to US

The UAE president is set to meet US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on his visit. A top advisor refused to say on Thursday if he will be meeting Donald Trump.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday hosts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the Egyptian leader's first-ever Turkey visit, in Ankara, on Sept. 4, 2024.

Analysis

With reconstruction in mind, can Turkey-Egypt thaw offer lifeline for Libya?

The complex interplay of regional and international interests and entrenched divisions within Libya itself suggest that progress may be slow and difficult to achieve.

Mohamed Eljarh

By Mohamed Eljarh

The President of UAE Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) walks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of a meeting in New Delhi on January 25, 2017.

Analysis

India, UAE relations move from crude oil imports to nuclear cooperation

India, which sources 51% of its crude from the Middle East, is looking to strengthen strategic ties with the UAE. The South Asian country, which has significant nuclear energy capacity, signed its first nuclear cooperation agreement with Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Migrant builders take a break while working at a construction site by the Corniche, in Doha, on Nov. 24, 2022, during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament.

What's behind the UAE's visa amnesty scheme?

As part of the United Arab Emirates' large-scale amnesty scheme, migrants in the country illegally who have secured jobs can apply for fresh visas, while others will be allowed to leave without facing penalties.

United Arab Emirates

Employees of Aramco oil company work in Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant on September 20, 2019.

Analysis

Can Saudi Arabia afford giga-projects with oil prices under $75 per barrel?

Riyadh could soon run a current account deficit as oil revenue declines amid huge spending commitments toward ambitious Vision 2030 projects. Saudi-led OPEC has also deferred an output increase plan to allow more time to reach desired oil prices.

Jennifer Gnana

Samuel Wendel

By Jennifer Gnana , Samuel Wendel

China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang (C) delivers his speech.

At Africa summit, China elevates ties with Libya, invests $14M in Egypt

The Sino-Libyan pact was announced Wednesday by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Libyan Presidency Council Mohamed al-Menfi at the FOCAC summit in Beijing.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday hosts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the Egyptian leader's first-ever Turkey visit, in Ankara, on Sept. 4, 2024.

Turkey, Egypt ink 17 deals as Erdogan hosts Sisi on first visit to Ankara

The Turkish and Egyptian leaders reaffirmed their commitment to improving bilateral ties as well as increasing coordination on regional issues.

A bank teller counts money as a customer looks on at a bank in Libya's western coastal city of Misrata on Aug. 25, 2024.

Libya factions agree to appoint new central bank chief to end crisis: UN

The House of Representatives, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, and the High State Council in Tripoli in the west signed a joint statement after two days of talks hosted by the UN Support Mission in Libya.

Police officers stand guard outside Libya's Central Bank headquarters in Tripoli on Aug. 27, 2024.

Interview

From Turkey, exiled Libyan Central Bank governor decries 'coup d'etat'

Governor Sadiq al-Kabir spoke exclusively to Al-Monitor after he and other senior officials at the Libyan Central Bank fled to Istanbul at the end of last month, as militias linked to Libya's internationally recognized government threatened them.

Sadiq al-Kabir

Sadiq al-Kabir

Governor of the Central Bank of Libya

A cargo ship is docked at the port of Yemen's Huthi-held city of Hodeida on July 28, 2024. Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi entity denies its ship hit as Houthis claim attack on Greek tanker

Saudi Arabia's national shipping company Bahri denied reports that its tanker Amjad came under attack by the Houthis, the Yemeni armed group that has stepped up attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Pro-Israel demonstrators stage a counterprotest around an Oxfam installation.

UK halts 30 arms export licenses to Israel, citing Gaza concerns

After reviewing all the licenses issued or extended in recent months for arms exports to Israel, the British government decided to suspend 30 of them.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist , Jack Dutton