By Irfan Ahmed Nazir
On 18 January 2023, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan hosted the leaders of the GCC countries, Egypt and Jordan, in Abu Dhabi for a “fraternal consultative meeting.” The meeting, under the title “Prosperity and Stability in the Region,” aimed at consolidating and deepening cooperation among the “brotherly countries” across various sectors. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani of Qatar, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt and King Abdullah II of Jordan attended the meeting. Notably, the Saudi and Kuwaiti leaders were absent at this high-profile meeting at St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi.
It is not the first time such fraternal consultative meetings are happening in the Middle East. Earlier in August 2022, the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the UAE met for a “mini-Arab summit” in El Alamein, Egypt, to enhance inter-Arab partnership. However, the fraternal meeting in Abu Dhabi is significant for three reasons. The first and foremost is the participation of the Qatari Emir. It was Sheikh Tamim’s second visit to the UAE following the Gulf diplomatic crisis in 2017 when the Arab quartet comprising Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut off their diplomatic ties with Qatar. Though the Al-Ula summit of the GCC in early 2021 diffused the tensions, Manama and Abu Dhabi were slow in mending their relationship with Doha, compared to Cairo and Riyadh.
Sheikh Tamim’s first visit to the UAE was in May 2022 to offer his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Sheikh Mohamed’s half-brother and predecessor as the UAE president. In November 2022, Sheikh Mohamed made a surprise visit to Doha for the first time since the Qatar blockade. His visit also coincided with the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Sheikh Mohamed hailed Qatar hosting the most iconic international football tournament as a “source of pride to all the GCC countries, and to the Arab world in general.” Sheikh Tamim’s recent visit to Abu Dhabi for the fraternal consultative meeting testifies to this improving UAE-Qatar relations. Nevertheless, both countries continue to compete to become the hub of business, trade and tourism in the region. Sheikh Tamim met King Hamadat the sidelines of the fraternal meeting, the second meeting after the blockade. The Bahrain-Qatar relations are also likely to move towards a positive direction in the coming months.
Secondly, Egypt and Jordan have demonstrated their continued pivot towards the Arab Gulfby participating in the fraternal consultative meeting. The Egyptian and Jordanian economies face enormous challenges, such as rising unemployment and poverty, inflation and high cost of living. The Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraineconflicts and other regional imbalances have also exacerbated the economic hardships in these two countries. Both countries look up to the Gulf monarchies to support them in reviving their economies. The Gulf countries have invested significantly in Egypt and Jordan, primarily through sovereign wealth funds. For instance, in May 2022, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan entered into an industrial partnership for sustainable development growth. Under the partnership, the Abu Dhabi-based ADQ company will manage a $10 billion investment fund to accelerate growth in five priority sectors.
Finally, the meeting happened at a time when the UAE was witnessing high-profile diplomatic activities. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yoeland Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were on a state visit to the UAE earlier this week. During the visit, President Yoon’s comments on Iran as an “enemy” of the UAE, like how nuclear-armed North Korea is to South Korea, triggered a diplomatic spat between Iran and South Korea. Many other foreign leaders and officials also landed in Abu Dhabi, including the dignitaries for the World Future Energy Summit and the Negev Forum Steering Committee and Working Groups Meeting. The UAE is also a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the host of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) this year. Through the fraternal consultative meeting, the UAE attempts to take its Arab neighbours into confidence while pursuing its diplomatic goals at regional and global levels. Such consultative practices are likely to continue on the Arab diplomatic front for better coordination among the countries.
Author is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He tweets at @irfannazir_in.
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