Economy and trade

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman prior to a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Feb. 20, 2019.

Analysis

India's Modi visits Saudi Arabia, seeks to boost trade route to counter China

India's largely transactional relationship with Saudi Arabia has moved beyond oil sales to a more strategic and closer partnership.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Jakarta

GCC-Indonesia economic ties deepen with Saudi MoUs, joint Qatar fund

Trade between Indonesia and the Gulf is rising and negotiations are underway for a GCC-Indonesia free trade agreement.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was hosted in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron, where the sides signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement in AI, on Feb. 6, 2025.

Analysis

UAE hedges against global economic volatility with EU trade agreement

The UAE is doubling down on bilateral free trade agreements as it hedges against economic headwinds fueled by the United States' universal tariff policy.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives in Doha on Sunday for an official visit and is welcomed by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani upon his arrival.

Egypt's Sisi visits Qatar, nabs $7.5B in investments: What to know

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s trip to Doha comes amid Egypt’s moves to improve ties with Turkey and tensions with the UAE over the Gaza war.

Latest News

Analysis

Saudi Arabia-PwC split signals shift to local consultancies: What to know

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12: People walk by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) New York headquarters after the company announced a major restructuring on September 12, 2024 in New York City. PwC LLP will let go of up to 1,800 US employees next month as the accounting firm shifts to in-house technology developers and streamlines its advisory practice. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Amal Altwaijri

By Amal Altwaijri

In Washington, DC, reporting on Saudi Arabia

Analysis

France recalibrates Turkey ties as east Med dynamics shift: What to know

TOPSHOT - France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shares a laugh with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) ahead of a round table as part of the European Political Community Summit in Budapest, on November 7, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

China courts Gulf, BRICS allies as trade war with US escalates

GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu set to meet Trump amid differences over Iran, tariffs and Turkey: What to know

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi.

Interview

Oman FM says US, Iran 'close' on prisoner deal

Oman's foreign minister told Al-Monitor that the two sides are ironing out the details on a deal to release the prisoners.

Sayyid Badr Albusaidi

Sayyid Badr Albusaidi

Foreign Minister of Oman

Israel drone

Arab states make up 24% of Israel’s 2022 arms exports including drones

Out of the record-high $12.5 billion in Israeli defense exports in 2022, almost $3 billion were export deals with Arab countries.

Emmanuel Macron Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Arabia's MBS heads to France to meet Macron, attend business summits

The two leaders will meet Friday and discuss bilateral relations as well as Middle Eastern and international issues including the war in Ukraine.

A picture taken on September 15, 2019 shows the entrance of an Aramco oil facility near al-Khurj area, just south of the Saudi capital Riyadh. - Saudi Arabia raced today to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault. The Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, have claimed thi weekend's strikes on two plants owned by state giant Aramc

Saudi Aramco tops Middle East companies for 2023: Forbes

The Saudi oil giant continues to perform well on the back of oil prices. The list also revealed strong performances by several Moroccan banks.

A man carries a tray of bread through a market street on Dec. 14, 2016, in Cairo, Egypt.

Egypt's largest fortunes unscathed by latest tax changes

The Egyptian parliament approved a raft of fiscal reforms proposed by the government, including the income tax, but their reach and impact remain uncertain.

Arab-China Business Conference

Saudi Arabia's Arab-China business conference inks over $10B in deals

The Arab-China Business Conference yielded billions of dollars worth of deals on electric vehicles, mining, technology and more.

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan runs soccer diplomacy with UAE, Libya at Champions League final

Turkey's president hosted Libya’s prime minister and the UAE president at the Champions League final in Istanbul.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on December 23, 2014 in Beijing, China.

Analysis

Chinese panda bonds present opportunity for cash-strapped Egypt

With this agreement with the African Development Bank, Egypt is the first African country to issue bonds in Chinese currency that are placed in the domestic market of mainland China.

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on November 24, 2021. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Turkey-UAE honeymoon on horizon after Erdogan's win, economic deals

The UAE-Turkey $40 billion trade agreement ratified in May is an expression of the friendship between the two countries’ leaders, according to experts.

By Salim A. Essaid

Egypt Sisi

Analysis

Egypt: Sisi's Africa tour highlights GERD, economic, climate change challenges

Sisi visited Angola, Zambia and Mozambique this week, demonstrating the continued importance Egypt places on political, economic and security ties with southern Africa and the continent as a whole.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A man rows a stand-up paddle flying an Israeli flag near a sailing boat and a yacht in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Tel Aviv on April 26, 2023, as Israel marks Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut), 75 years since the establishment of the Jewish state. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel advances EastMed undersea electricity cable connecting with Europe

In Paris meetings with international bodies, Energy Minister Israel Katz is promoting Israel's plans for a subsea electricity cable that would connect to other countries in the region and Europe.

MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

MBS holds call with Putin, talks oil prices as Blinken visits Saudi Arabia

The IMF projected that Saudi Arabia’s economic growth will slow to 2.1% in 2023 from its 3.1% forecast in May, after the kingdom cut more oil production on Sunday.