On September 15, 2020, the UAE and Bahrain entered into the Abraham Accords Peace Treaty with Israel, normalizing diplomatic and other relations between these countries.  This was followed by the Israel-Morocco normalization agreement announced on December 10, 2020, in which Israel and Morocco agreed to begin normalizing relations, and by Sudan’s formal accession to the Abraham Accords on January 6, 2021.  In addition to establishing diplomatic relations, these agreements open the door for economic and trade relations between these countries.

In another significant diplomatic development, Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, signed an agreement on January 5, 2021, at the annual summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries ending the 43-month blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.  As a result of this agreement, Saudi Arabia has reopened its land border and airspace to Qatar.

These important diplomatic developments raise the possibility of significant new commercial opportunities for aerospace and defense companies seeking to do business in the GCC countries, as well as in the MENA region more generally.

Our program will feature a practical discussion by two Middle East experts on what these recent developments mean for A&D companies.  This discussion will include the likely implications on U.S. Middle East policy of the new Biden administration and what that may mean for A&D companies seeking to do business with the GCC countries.