UAE, Indonesia Sign Agreements, MoUs

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, met Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (WAM)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, met Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (WAM)
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UAE, Indonesia Sign Agreements, MoUs

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, met Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (WAM)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, met Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (WAM)

The UAE and Indonesia signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) in key sectors, such as diplomatic cooperation, digital financial innovation, and mutual recognition of certificates of seafarers' competency.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai witnessed with Indonesian President Joko Widodo the exchange of a series of MoUs and agreements between the two countries for cooperation in financial services, investment, travel, and energy, and the avoidance of double taxation.

The two countries also exchanged documents of ratification of the Agreement for Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment, the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, and the amendment of the Safe Travel Corridor.

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development signed an investment agreement with Indonesia Investment Authority (IIA).

Sheikh Mohammed stressed his country's aspiration to push forward the partnership within various sectors that support the development trends in the two countries.

Sheikh Mohammed said he hoped cooperation between the nations would increase, adding on his Twitter account: "The value of our trade with them was Dh7billion in 2020, and we want to double our cooperation with them as a strategic partner to reach new heights."

The two parties discussed ways to develop their bilateral partnership given the strong relations that bring them together at various political, economic, and cultural levels.

The bilateral cooperation ties witnessed a remarkable development during the past period, supported by mutual visits at the leadership and senior officials.

UAE and Indonesian leaderships aim to take their partnership to higher levels of coordination and constructive interaction that serve the interests of the two peoples and support the ambitious development directions of both sides.

The meeting also addressed enhancing bilateral cooperation within various economic and technical sectors, including trade exchange which grew during the past few years.

UAE's non-oil foreign trade with Indonesia reached $2 billion during 2020. The total non-oil trade exchanges between the two countries exceeded $11 billion in the last five years.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interests and ways to boost bilateral cooperation.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of offering Indonesia and UAE private sectors opportunities to explore investment in both countries and launch joint companies.



Oil Prices Set to End Week over 3% Lower as Supply Risks Ease

FILE PHOTO: An oil and gas industry worker walks during operations of a drilling rig at Zhetybay field in the Mangystau region, Kazakhstan, November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An oil and gas industry worker walks during operations of a drilling rig at Zhetybay field in the Mangystau region, Kazakhstan, November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov/File Photo
TT

Oil Prices Set to End Week over 3% Lower as Supply Risks Ease

FILE PHOTO: An oil and gas industry worker walks during operations of a drilling rig at Zhetybay field in the Mangystau region, Kazakhstan, November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An oil and gas industry worker walks during operations of a drilling rig at Zhetybay field in the Mangystau region, Kazakhstan, November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Turar Kazangapov/File Photo

Oil prices fell on Friday, heading for a weekly drop of more than 3%, as concerns over supply risks from the Israel-Hezbollah conflict eased, alleviating earlier disruption fears.
Brent crude futures fell 55 cents, or 0.8%, to $72.73 a barrel by 0758 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $69.52, down 20 cents, or 0.3%, compared with Wednesday's closing price.
On a weekly basis, Brent futures were down 3.3% and the U.S. WTI benchmark was trading 3.8% lower.
Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah traded accusations on Thursday over alleged violations of their ceasefire that came into effect the day before. The deal had at first appeared to alleviate the potential for supply disruption from a broader conflict that had led to a risk premium for oil.
Oil supplies from the Middle East, though, have been largely unaffected during Israel's parallel conflicts with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
OPEC+, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, delayed its next policy meeting to Dec. 5 from Dec. 1 to avoid a scheduling conflict. OPEC+ is expected to further extend its production cuts at the meeting.
BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, downgraded its Brent price forecast on Friday to $76/bbl in 2025 from $78/bbl previously, citing a "bearish fundamental outlook, ongoing weakness in oil market sentiment and the downside pressure on prices we expect to accrue under Trump."
"Although we expect the OPEC+ group will opt to roll-over the existing cuts into the new year, this will not be sufficient to fully erase the production glut we forecast for next year," BMI analysts said in a note.
Also on Thursday, Russia struck Ukrainian energy facilities for the second time this month. ANZ analysts said the attack risked retaliation that could affect Russian oil supply.
Iran told a UN nuclear watchdog it would install more than 6,000 additional uranium-enriching centrifuges at its enrichment plants, a confidential report by the watchdog said on Thursday.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs have said Iranian supply could drop by as much as 1 million barrels per day in the first half of next year if Western powers tighten sanctions enforcement on its crude oil output.