Middle Eastern countries

The Council of Ministers adopted a decision to allocate EUR 200,000 as a contribution to the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, also known as the Madad Fund, reports BGNES. 

It helps refugees from the civil war in Syria, especially those who have temporarily settled in the neighboring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq.

Jordan has suspended a free trade agreement with Turkey as the deal negatively affected local industries, state-run Petra news agency reported on March 12.

As tensions build over Turkey's continued detention of two Greek soldiers who accidentally crossed the border, Turkish aggression off the coast of Cyprus is further upsetting the fragile balance in the region.

The economic and financial impact on Qatar of a nine-month Saudi-led blockade is fading, but some risks for the Gulf emirate remain, the International Monetary Fund has said.

Ankara has described French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement that Turkey’s ongoing military operation into northern Syria should not turn into an “invasion” as evidence of a “crooked view.” 

The president of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee hopes that, as a key member of the European Union and the European Parliament, Greece can play an important role in alerting the international community to the need to end the diplomatic crisis between his country and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

A Saudi-led military coalition announced $1.5 billion in new humanitarian aid for Yemen on Jan. 22, after the United Nations made what it called a record appeal for assistance for the war-ravaged country.

In a bid to boost bilateral trade between Turkey and Qatar, work to ease transportation through Iraq and Iran must be accelerated, Turkey’s customs and trade minister said on Jan. 16, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

The streets near where the United Arab Emirates’ embassy is located in the Turkish capital Ankara have been renamed after a diplomatic row between Turkey and the UAE erupted over an Ottoman pasha, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Jan. 9.

Cyprus said on Thursday that Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco has expressed a business interest in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

According to a government press release, the representatives of Saudi Aramco conveyed their interest in doing business in Cyprus's EEZ during their meeting this week with Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis in Riyadh.