Egypt and Qatar Aim to Strengthen Cooperation on Regional Developments

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Doha on Saturday (Egyptian cabinet presidency)
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Doha on Saturday (Egyptian cabinet presidency)
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Egypt and Qatar Aim to Strengthen Cooperation on Regional Developments

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Doha on Saturday (Egyptian cabinet presidency)
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Doha on Saturday (Egyptian cabinet presidency)

Egypt and Qatar on Saturday emphasized the significance of continuing their cooperation to address the challenges posed by the ongoing regional developments.
Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, highlighted the joint coordination between both countries on the various issues currently under consideration, with a focus on advancing the mutual interests of both nations.
Madbouly’s remarks came after holding talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the 22nd edition of the Doha Forum 2024, held in Qatar on Saturday and Sunday.
A statement by the presidency of the Egyptian cabinet said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani expressed his appreciation for the important and pioneering role played by the Egyptian state in both the global and regional contexts, particularly in light of the current developments in the region.
He also emphasized the importance of continued cooperation and solidarity between Egypt and Qatar in addressing the challenges posed by ongoing regional developments.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad also reiterated his commitment to maintaining open and permanent communication channels with the Egyptian government.
The Emir then referred to his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last month on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The two officials discussed several issues of mutual interest, particularly the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation in light of regional events.
The Emir also highlighted the recent visit of the Qatari Prime Minister to Egypt, stressing the importance of building on this visit and advancing the ongoing work on joint cooperation files between the two countries.
Late last month, Sisi met with Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, in Cairo. The two sides discussed the joint endeavors of both nations to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, facilitate the release of captives, and ensure the unconditional provision of humanitarian and relief aid to the enclave.
They also emphasized the importance of coordinated actions to support the Palestinian people and uphold their legitimate rights to establish a sovereign and independent state in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions while safeguarding Palestinian national interests.
For over a year, Egypt, Qatar, and the US have spearheaded mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, Madbouly conveyed the warm greetings of Sisi to Sheikh Tamim.
He expressed the President's sincere desire to further enhance cooperation and coordination between the two countries across various sectors, building on the significant progress achieved in the Egyptian-Qatari bilateral relations at political, economic, and investment levels in recent months.
Madbouly affirmed that consultations will continue with Qatari government working teams to implement the agreements made during the Qatari Prime Minister's visit to Egypt at the end of November.
The PM also expressed hope that the discussed projects will be implemented promptly.
During a meeting last month in Cairo, Madbouly and his Qatari counterpart reviewed ways to enhance cooperation at all levels, especially in the political, economic, investment, trade and humanitarian fields, in a way that meets the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples.
Madbouly had announced that Egypt and Qatar will collaborate on a significant real estate investment project in the country's North Coast region.
He said the project is expected to be a major boost to Egypt's tourism and real estate sectors.

 



Jordan Says King Abdullah Received Invitation to Join Gaza Peace Board

Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war, in Gaza City, January 16, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war, in Gaza City, January 16, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
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Jordan Says King Abdullah Received Invitation to Join Gaza Peace Board

Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war, in Gaza City, January 16, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war, in Gaza City, January 16, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Jordan's foreign ministry said on Sunday that King Abdullah received an invitation from ‌US President ‌Donald ‌Trump ⁠to join ‌the so-called "Board of Peace" for Gaza.

The foreign ministry said it was ⁠currently reviewing ‌related documents ‍within ‍the country's ‍internal legal procedures.

The board is set to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza, ⁠which has been under a shaky ceasefire since October.

On Friday, the White House announced some members of a so-called "Board of Peace" that is to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October.

The names include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump is the chair of the board, according to a plan his White House unveiled in October.

The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the "founding Executive board." The names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said ⁠more members will be announced over the coming weeks.

The board will also include private equity executive and billionaire ‌Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel, ‍a Trump adviser, the White House ‍said, adding that Nickolay Mladenov, a former UN Middle East envoy, will be the ‍high representative for Gaza.

Army Major General Jasper Jeffers, a US special operations commander, was appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force, the White House said. A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the board and countries working with it to establish that force in Gaza.

The White House also named an 11-member "Gaza Executive Board" that will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East ⁠peace process, Sigrid Kaag, the United Arab Emirates minister for international cooperation, Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, along with some members of the executive board.

This additional board will support Mladenov's office and the Palestinian technocratic body, whose details were announced this week, the White House said.


Türkiye’s Kurdish Leader Calls Syria Clashes 'Sabotage'

American soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition against the ISIS organization stand on alert during a meeting with the Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir Hafir, Syria, the day before yesterday (AP).
American soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition against the ISIS organization stand on alert during a meeting with the Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir Hafir, Syria, the day before yesterday (AP).
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Türkiye’s Kurdish Leader Calls Syria Clashes 'Sabotage'

American soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition against the ISIS organization stand on alert during a meeting with the Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir Hafir, Syria, the day before yesterday (AP).
American soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition against the ISIS organization stand on alert during a meeting with the Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir Hafir, Syria, the day before yesterday (AP).

Recent deadly clashes in Syria between government forces and Kurdish fighters seek to "sabotage" the peace process between Türkiye and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the jailed leader of the Kurdish militant group said.

Abdullah Ocalan, who has led the unfolding Turkish peace process from prison, "sees this situation (in Syria) as an attempt to sabotage the peace process" in Türkiye, a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM party said after visiting him in jail on Saturday.

The PKK leader last year called for the group to lay down its weapons and disband, after more than four decades of conflict that claimed at least 50,000 lives.

The delegation that visited him at Imrali prison island near Istanbul, where he has been held in solitary confinement since 1999, said he had "reaffirmed his commitment to the process of peace and democratic society" and called to "take the necessary steps to move forward".

The PKK made a similar warning earlier this month, saying the Syria clashes "call into question the ceasefire between our movement and Türkiye ".

The clashes in Syria erupted after negotiations stalled on integrating the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration and forces into the country's new government, which took over after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The Syrian army has seized swathes of the country's north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory where they had held effective autonomy for more than a decade.

Türkiye, which views Kurdish fighters in Syria as a terror group affiliated with the PKK, has praised Syria's operation as fighting "terrorist organizations".


Aidarous al-Zubaidi Faces Corruption, Land-Grabbing Investigations

 Aidarous al-Zoubaidi (AFP) 
 Aidarous al-Zoubaidi (AFP) 
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Aidarous al-Zubaidi Faces Corruption, Land-Grabbing Investigations

 Aidarous al-Zoubaidi (AFP) 
 Aidarous al-Zoubaidi (AFP) 

Yemen’s Attorney General, Qaher Mustafa, has ordered the formation of a judicial committee to investigate allegations of corruption, illicit enrichment, and related crimes attributed to Aidarous al-Zubaidi, according to a decision issued on Saturday. The committee has been instructed to proceed in accordance with the law.

The probe will examine accusations including abuse of power, land seizures, illicit oil trading, and involvement in commercial companies. Observers say these practices have deepened political and social divisions in Yemen’s southern governorates, fueling public anger over financial and administrative corruption.

Dr. Fares al-Bayl, head of the Future Center for Yemeni Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Zubaidi “lacks political capital and administrative experience,” but rose to senior positions amid Yemen’s worst economic and political crisis. He alleged that al-Zubaidi exploited these posts to seize public funds, undermine state institutions, and conspire with external actors.

Al-Bayl said al-Zubaidi diverted large budgets - estimated at 10 billion Yemeni riyals monthly - under the name of the Southern Transitional Council, without legal authorization. He accused him of withholding revenues from the Port of Aden, customs, and taxes from the Central Bank, and channeling funds to armed formations outside state control.

Additional claims include the imposition of illegal levies on traders and citizens, the creation of multiple revenue-collection checkpoints, and the failure to transfer taxes on qat, fuel, cement, transport, tourism projects, and private investments to the state treasury.

Administratively, al-Bayl alleged that al-Zubaidi dismantled state institutions, replaced qualified personnel with loyalists, paralyzed essential services such as electricity, water, and the judiciary, and established parallel security bodies, creating administrative chaos and a lack of accountability. He also cited documented allegations of secret prisons, torture, enforced disappearances, and unlawful detentions of political opponents and journalists.

Security analyst Ibrahim Jalal described the alleged corruption as a reflection of power dominance and the monopolization of wealth and authority, often through illegal means and at the expense of citizens’ livelihoods.

Economist Adel Shamsan said the swift move by the Attorney General to open investigations carries important political and legal implications, reinforcing accountability and the rule of law. He noted that the action could help contain political fallout, ease polarization, and reassure markets and donors, supporting financial stability and reducing uncertainty.

According to documents reviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Zubaidi allegedly seized vast tracts of land in Aden. Many of these properties were reportedly registered in the names of relatives or close associates.

Additional allegations include oil shipments through Qena Port in Shabwa and corruption cases involving exchange and furniture companies based in Aden.