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Martin Griffiths is to leave his position as special envoy to Yemen of UN secretary-general António Guterres, after being appointed undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. His new job was announced on 12 May, but he will remain in his current post until a replacement has been named.  Among those tipped as a possible successor is former UK Middle East minister Alistair Burt; he is chair of the Emirates Society.

British foreign secretary Dominic Raab met President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Mustapha Kadhimi, foreign minister Fuad Hussein and other officials in Baghdad on 9 June. Raab “reaffirmed the UK's commitment to Iraq” and signed a UK-Iraq strategic partnership, of which details are awaited.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion announced on 23 June it will start offering long-term residence visas to foreign investors, following the lead taken by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. 

Minister of state Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan went on a “virtual tour” of sub-Saharan African countries from 8-15 July, seeking to boost co-operation over Covid-19 and wider political, economic and cultural issues. 

Beyond its extensive talks with Qatar, senior US officials have kept up a steady rate of engagement with most other GCC countries in recent weeks, particularly regarding the Afghanistan file. Secretary of state Anthony Blinken spoke by phone with Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan on 2 September, with Kuwaiti FM Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah on 6 September and with UAE foreign affairs and international co-operation minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on 7 September.

Qatar and the UAE were both elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) on 14 October, to serve for a three-year term starting on 1 January 2022.

Turkey’s rehabilitation among its erstwhile critics in the Gulf is continuing apace. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia and the UAE later in February.

Thailand’s Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha paid a brief but significant visit to Riyadh on 25 January to restore full diplomatic ties after a hiatus of more than 30 years.

Federal Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum held talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the site of the Expo 2020 fair in Dubai on 15 February.

Recently appointed US ambassador Steven Bondy has been reprimanded by his hosts after meeting civil society activists. After Bondy presented his credentials to King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa on 9 February, he later met four activists at his residence, the local Delmon Post reported.

Iran and Qatar signed a string of bilateral agreements during a recent visit by President Ebrahim Raisi to Doha. It was the first visit by an Iranian president to Doha in 11 years.

Ambassador Fahd Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah presented his credentials to the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II on 23 March. The event was held via video conference, as the British monarch is currently avoiding most in-person engagements due to her frail health.

Royal Court advisor Ahmed Bin Abdelaziz Qattan has continued his whistle-stop tour of African countries, with a key focus on securing support for Riyadh’s ambition to host the Expo 2030 world fair.

Israel hosted an unprecedented meeting of four Arab foreign ministers, along with US secretary of state Anthony Blinken and Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid at a kibbutz in the southern Negev Desert on 28 March. The Arab attendees were Bahrain’s Abdullatif Al-Zayani, Egypt’s Sameh Shoukry, Morocco’s Nasser Bourita and the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (ABZ).

A fifth round of talks between Saudi and Iranian officials was held at Baghdad International Airport on 21 April, after a seven-month hiatus. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the atmosphere as positive.