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Ammonia production has started at a facility developed by state-owned OQ in Oman's Dhofar. Asian markets are a key export target.
Iran is due to become a permanent member of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) in 2023, according to comments by officials at the organisation’s annual summit held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in mid-September. A number of Gulf monarchies have also expressed interest in building their relations with a grouping which is sometimes known by sceptics as ‘the dictators’ club’.
Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah made a brief official visit to Saudi Arabia on 13 September, where he was met at the airport by Mecca Region deputy governor Prince Bader Bin Sultan Bin Abdelaziz and minister of state Prince Turki Bin Mohammed Bin Fahd.
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Mohammed Bin Khalid Al-Nahyan was sworn in as the UAE ambassador to Jordan, in a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on 20 September, in front of President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ).
Iranian Army (Artesh) Ground Force commander Brigadier Kioumars Heydari said on 12 September that Tehran had developed a drone with a 2,000km range optimised for attacking Israel’s coastal cities.
UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ) paid a two-day visit to Muscat, where he met Oman's Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said. In a joint statement afterwards, the leaders said they held "fruitful talks". One of the main developments was the revival of plans for a cross-border rail link.
GSN Risk Grade – B↓2 Budget surplus: In a preliminary budget statement for 2023, issued on 30 September, the Ministry of Finance predicted a surplus of SR9bn in 2023, around 0.2% of GDP, based on revenues of SR1,123bn and expenditure of SR1,114bn.
The Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) handed over the command of the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) to the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN) in January, in a ceremony at the US naval base in Bahrain. RN Captain James Byron has taken over from the RSNF's Rear Admiral Abdullah Bin Miteb Al-Mutairi.
Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) issued a request for proposals (RFP) in January for a 1.5GW solar photovoltaic independent power project in the Ajban area of Abu Dhabi. It is the third major solar plant by Ewec, following the 1.2GW Noor Abu Dhabi and the 1.58GW Al-Dhafra projects.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan travelled to Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan on 25 January, in a rare trip outside the Gulf since becoming head of state in May 2022. He was met on arrival by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The two men have been in regular contact in recent months.
First Abu Dhabi Bank (Fab) has decided to not to pursue its interest in taking over UK-registered, London Stock Exchange (LSE)-listed Standard Chartered, having retained bulge-bracket Citigroup and New York-based investment bank Moelis and Company in 2022 to explore potential international takeovers or investments. StanChart was said to be the prime target.
A member of the family behind one of Saudi Arabia’s leading privately-owned construction companies, El Seif Engineering Contracting (Esec), is rising up the social ranks, with a wedding between Esec chairman’s daughter, Rajwa Bint Khaled Al-Seif, to Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah due to take place on 1 June.
Hassan Kazemi-Qomi was named as the new head of Iran’s mission to Afghanistan in mid-December, taking over from Bahador Aminian. It came soon after comments by Aminian were leaked in which the envoy had described the Taliban as a "calamity" for Afghanistan and the wider world.
Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah returned to Kuwait late December from his latest trip to Italy for medical treatment. It was his fourth trip to Italy in 2022.
Amiri Yachts, which acts as a holding company for a fleet of Qatari royal yachts, has filed a claim in the High Court of Justice in London, seeking a refund from Lebanon’s Privinvest Holding for work carried out on the Katara superyacht at Privinvest’s German shipyard.