The Gulf Nashra Weekly Digest
Erdogan Visits the Gulf, Sustainable Development Discussions, and a Book on Saudi Oil Policy.
Media Coverage
Geopolitics
“Turkiye in talks with Qatar and Oman to buy used Eurofighter jets, Erdogan says.” Arab News, October 24, 2025.
“Turkiye aims to purchase dozens of Eurofighters and other advanced jets as a stopgap measure to strengthen its fleet until its domestically developed fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet becomes operational.”
“Erdogan concludes Gulf tour with 24 new pacts in Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman.” Anadolu Ajansı, October 23, 2025.
“Erdogan visited the three Gulf states Oct. 21–23 at the invitation of their leaders. Talks throughout the trip focused on strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation on regional and global issues, including the situation in Gaza.”
Go Deeper: “Türkiye in the Gulf: Bilateral and multilateral aims.” Daily Sabah, October 24, 2025.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, Qatar says.” AP, October 18, 2025.
“The sides agreed to establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability, and to hold follow-up talks in the coming days to ensure the sustainability of the truce, the Qatari statement said. Qatar and Turkey mediated the negotiations, the statement added.”
Go Deeper: “A Layered Analysis of the 2025 Afghanistan-Pakistan Crisis: History, Internal Politics, and the Return of Great Power Competition.” Middle East Political and Economic Institute, October 19, 2025.
Market & Economy
“Gulf Railway Project Set for Completion by December 2030.” Arab Times, October 24, 2025.
“According to Al Shabrami, passenger trains on the Gulf Railway are expected to operate at speeds exceeding 200 km/h, while freight trains will run at speeds between 80 and 120 km/h, ensuring both rapid and reliable services.”
Go Deeper: “The Gulf Railway Project: Bridging the Gaps between Vision and Reality.” ORF, Apr 25, 2025.
“Saudi Arabia’s PIF to launch new ATP Masters 1000 tournament.” Reuters, October 23, 2025.
“The new event will make Saudi Arabia the 10th Masters 1000 host, joining Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.”
Go Deeper: “Saudi Arabia’s tennis investment and ATP tournament: How it is changing the sport.” The Atlantic, October 24, 2025.
“IMF expects Abu Dhabi’s economy to grow by 6%, Dubai’s by 3.4% in 2025.” WAM, October 21, 2025.
“Dr. Azour said the IMF projects the UAE’s economy to grow by 4.8% in 2025, rising to about 5% in 2026, the highest growth rate among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, following the strong performance of the UAE economy this year.”
Go Deeper: “IMF Staff Completes 2025 Article IV Mission to United Arab Emirates.” IMF, October 2, 2025.
“Al-Falih: Saudi Arabia’s private sector has doubled in ten years to reach 2.3 trillion riyals.” Alarabiya, October 20, 2025.
“Al-Falih highlighted the significant role of the private sector and its importance in driving economic growth, noting that domestic investment grew by 76% in 2024. He added that local investment now represents about 30% of GDP.”
Go Deeper: “Vision 2030 in the Home Stretch: Clear Achievements yet Limited Accountability.” Carnegie, March 10, 2025.
“Total commodity exports amounted to 15.3 billion riyals, including 4.4 billion riyals of non-oil goods and products.” Oman, October 23, 2025.
“During its 2025 media briefing, Nazdar indicated that the volume of investments attracted exceeds OMR 1.5 billion, and 37 investment opportunities have been developed with a value of approximately OMR 828 million across seven diverse economic sectors.”
Domestics
“Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan appointed Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.” Arab News, October 22, 2025.
“The appointment was made by royal decree and based on a proposal by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.”
Go Deeper: “Why Saudi Arabia’s new grand mufti is sparking debate.” The New Arab, October 25, 2025.
“Oman Hosts the Oman Investment Forum 2025 in the United Kingdom.” Taunton Daily Gazette, October 22, 2025.
“Oman enters this year’s forum with one of the strongest fiscal positions in the region. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reached USD 78.8 billion by the end of the second quarter of 2025, a 12.8 percent increase compared to 2024. Inflows during the first half of 2025 totalled USD 8.8 billion, reflecting rising international confidence.”
“Fifth AlUla Wellness Festival begins with duathlon race.” Arab News, October 24, 2025.
“Events will be held daily at AlUla’s iconic landmarks including Elephant Rock, Hegra, the Old Town Amphitheatre, Harrat Viewpoint, Heart of the Oasis, and Maraya.”
Go Deeper: “Saudi Arabia Cultural Market Outlook: Vision, Impact and Opportunities 2025.” Oxford Business Group, 2025.
Gulf Opinions
This week’s Gulf commentary converged on the theme of development and sustainability, underscoring how these goals have become central to the region’s future strategies. Kuwaiti writer Ghadir Mohammed Asiri argues that Kuwait urgently needs a comprehensive development plan to overcome its reliance on oil and to catch up with other, more advanced Gulf states in achieving sustainable growth. She stresses that diversification, innovation, and international cooperation—through strategic partnerships, and investments in education, technology, and renewable energy—are vital to building a competitive, knowledge-based economy. Her fellow Kuwaiti author Turki Al Azmi, who had long highlighted this need since 2016, adds that such a plan must rest on tangible mechanisms: “holding transparent specialist dialogues, upgrading education and infrastructure, mapping citizen satisfaction, and fighting corruption to ensure real implementation and accountability.” From Bahrain, Nadia Mousa commends Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s efforts to streamline national projects as a strategic way to “reduce unemployment” and stimulate growth. She emphasizes that Bahrain’s focus on” job creation” through investment, public–private partnerships, and “youth empowerment” can transform its development blueprint into measurable progress.
In Saudi Arabia, Waleed Al Zamil expands the discussion by situating “sustainability” at the heart of the Kingdom’s ambitious “urban transformation.” He argues that Saudi Arabia’s major development projects must be guided by “sustainable urban design and community-centric planning,” where data-driven evaluation and user feedback keep infrastructure adaptive and relevant. This approach, he notes, aligns with the national shift away from a resource-based economy toward a knowledge- and service-driven model that secures long-term social, environmental, and economic resilience. Similarly, Khalfan Al Toofi from Oman insists that sustainable development begins with “empowering youth” through early intervention, data-based assessment, and collaboration with academic institutions like Sultan Qaboos University. He calls for “youth engagement” to evolve into a government-wide culture, supported by unified policies and high-level political will that channel the creativity and energy of young Omanis toward national renewal.
From Qatar, Ghoson Al Obaidly underscores that “transparency and good governance” form the backbone of sustainable development. Without clear oversight and open reporting, she warns, strategic plans lose their value; institutional accountability and visible investment flows are, in her view, prerequisites for trust and long-term growth. Fellow Qatari commentator Fahad Al Emadi echoes this connection between values and sustainability in his praise of Emir Tamim’s address to the 54th Shura Council session. He writes that “development is not merely numbers or projects, but a holistic system rooted in values, awareness, and national belonging,” reaffirming that sustainability in Qatar must remain inseparable from justice, human dignity, and the preservation of national identity. Finally, from the UAE, Dr. Moza Ghubash offers a vivid illustration of sustainability grounded in Emirati heritage. Reflecting on Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed’s “One Million Palm Trees Project,” she writes: “The project became an eternal national message, declaring that every palm tree planted gives birth to a thousand more, and every million trees yield another million each year, in an endless cycle of giving that nourishes the land with fertility and nourishes people with dignity.” Through this simple yet profound metaphor, she demonstrates how the UAE’s model of sustainable development fuses innovation with tradition—showing that true sustainability arises not merely from plans and conferences, but from enduring cultural values that bind nature, identity, and human generosity.
More Gulf Opinions
“We have been riding camels for thousands of years and have achieved miracles and progress from their backs. The whole world knows who the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is—and you, more than anyone, know that.
Israel knows that the Palestinian cause, in Saudi politics, is like the head to the body, and that will not change simply because you assume we live outside of history with your suggestion that we continue riding camels. By the way, the value of some of our camels is many times greater than that of the house you live in. Do you know why? Because camels live on their own land, and the land knows the worth of its people.”
Ali Alkheshaiban, Al Riyadh, (Saudi Arabia), October 27, 2025.
“Like its predecessors—for example the Sykes–Picot agreement—the West has deceived us once again regarding what was labeled the ‘peace agreement in Gaza (October 2025),’ which was celebrated in Sharm el-Sheikh without the ceasefire being put into effect on the ground… and without any identification of guarantees for its implementation, especially given that we are faced with an agreement in which the perpetrator is the judge.”
“The failure to announce the details of a ceasefire agreement is not necessarily an indicator of failed negotiations; rather, it is often part of a shrewd diplomatic strategy employed by the stronger party to push through major projects after the success of brutal extermination pressure that forces the other side to accept very little or nothing in return for a few days of silence from the guns.”
Samira Rajab, Akhbar Alkhaleej, (Bahrain), October 25, 2025.
“Between these two visions, Riyadh and Beijing meet on common ground defined by the shared goal of shaping a joint future in economics, thought, and communication. On the occasion of the arrival of China’s People’s Daily in Riyadh, [the writer] takes the opportunity to invite the Chinese news agency Xinhua to make Riyadh its regional headquarters in the Middle East, just as the Saudi capital has already attracted leading technology and economic companies, it is now well positioned to host Chinese media institutions seeking a strong foothold in the region.”
Fahad Araeshi, Al Watan, (Saudi Arabia), October 25, 2025.
“Oman’s perspective on Turkey extends beyond economics to a broader vision—one that recognizes cultural and educational cooperation as the deepest investment in future generations. With its rich history and civilization, Turkey resembles Oman in balancing modernity and heritage; both nations understand that authenticity is not a constraint of the past, but a bridge to the future.”
Homoud bin Ali Al Tooqi, Al Roya, (Oman), October 24, 2025.
“The reality is that Gaza today is not merely a battlefield, but a mirror reflecting the international system’s inability to uphold even the minimum standard of justice. Every time a ceasefire is declared, a wider war soon follows—because the root of the crisis, occupation and blockade, has yet to be uprooted. Thus, every truce remains nothing more than a pause between two deaths.”
Abdullah Alhashmi, Al Etihad, (UAE), October 24, 2025.
“I hope that Arabs will rely on themselves and distance themselves from international unions, especially those of European origin. These unions not only bring no benefit but also give fame-seekers in our region the opportunity to deceive our people and inflate the unworthy at the expense of those who work sincerely within our proud associations. Just as Europe once harmed us in the past, it now infiltrates us again through illusion to cause us harm once more.”
Khaled Al Saleh, Al Rai, (Kuwait), October 22, 2025.
Picks
Book: AlMuhanna, Ibrahim, “Oil Leaders: An Insider’s Account of Four Decades of Saudi Arabia and OPEC’s Global Energy Policy.” Columbia University Press, June 2024.
Research: “Approaching the Core? A two-stage analysis of the formulation and implementation of the Saudi and Kuwaiti visions.” Razan Al-Shammari, Lund University, 2025. [PDF].
Research: “The Chinese are coming! US think tanks and the Belt and Road Initiative in the Middle East and North Africa.” Ketchley Andersen, Morten Andersen, Ole Sending, Review of International Political Economy, October 2025.
Research: “A new capital pipeline to the Gulf? Geopolitical conflicts, capital flight, and the Russian exodus to the United Arab Emirates.” Froilan Malit & Kristian Alexander, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, September 29, 2025.
Analysis: “How strategic foresight can future-proof the Gulf’s energy transition.” World Economic Forum, Oct 21, 2025.
Analysis: “Hesitant Entrepreneurs: Can budget cuts drive entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia?” Saudi Labor Pulse, Oct 21, 2025.
Analysis: “Shopping for sea power: Saudi Arabia’s naval transformation.” Albert Vidal Ribe, IISS, October 13, 2025.
Analysis: “Culture in the Saudi National Zeitgeist.” Kristin Smith Diwan, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Oct 24, 2025.
Analysis: “Regional [MENA] Economic Outlook: Resilience amid Uncertainty: Will it Last?” IMF, October 2025. [PDF].
Analysis: “How Qatar became Trump’s key ally in his Middle East peace efforts.” Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, CNN Politics, October 19, 2025.
Analysis: “Evolving Ties: Saudi Arabia’s Political and Societal Engagement in Iraq.” Umer Karim, Gulf International Forum, October 21, 2025.
Analysis: “After Israel’s Strike on Qatar, a Strategic Shift.” April Alley, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, October 20, 2025.
Analysis: “Gulf states-Turkey defence and energy ties will expand.” Oxford Analytica, October 24, 2025.
Analysis: “Diffusing Tolerance: The UAE’s Soft Power Through Migration.” Mahdi Ghuloom, ORF Middle East, October 17, 2025.
Podcast: “Trump 2.0 and the Middle East: Taking Stock of the First Nine Months.” with Brian Katulis, Middle East Focus, October 22, 2025.
Podcast: “Where Is Investment in Saudi Arabia Headed?” with Abdullah Al-Rubdi, Socrates Podcast, October 21, 2025. [English Subtitles].