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Gulf States Strengthen their Position as Key Players in Global Aviation

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad with the Saudi Falcons teams (2024 Bahrain International Airshow Website)
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad with the Saudi Falcons teams (2024 Bahrain International Airshow Website)
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Gulf States Strengthen their Position as Key Players in Global Aviation

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad with the Saudi Falcons teams (2024 Bahrain International Airshow Website)
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad with the Saudi Falcons teams (2024 Bahrain International Airshow Website)

Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa officially opened the 2024 Bahrain International Airshow at Sakhir Airbase on Wednesday, with a strong turnout of regional and international aviation companies, policymakers, and industry professionals.

After the opening, Crown Prince Salman highlighted that key sectors play a vital role in supporting Bahrain’s economic diversification, helping to meet both current goals and future ambitions.

He also noted that Bahrain’s long history of hosting successful events shows the country’s commitment to achieving its development goals, including strengthening its position as a leading destination for global exhibitions and conferences.

During his visit to the exhibition, the Crown Prince expressed pride in the growing participation of aviation organizations.

Gulf countries have strengthened their position as key players in the global aviation industry, attracting major airlines and cutting-edge technologies, officials told Asharq Al-Awsat.

This year’s Bahrain International Airshow saw a 30% increase in participation compared to the last edition, with more companies and a wider range of equipment and technologies on display.

The event features 223 delegations from over 56 countries and 60 regional and international companies.

Mohammed Al-Khreisi, Vice President of Strategy and Business Intelligence at Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Authority, explained that Saudi Arabia’s participation highlights the country’s aviation achievements, investment opportunities, and global leadership.

He also emphasized the importance of Saudi Arabia hosting the upcoming Future of Aviation Forum.

In a comment to Asharq Al-Awsat during the opening ceremony, Al-Khreisi said the Kingdom’s participation highlights efforts to develop regulations that foster growth and innovation in aviation.

He pointed to the National Aviation Strategy, which aims to attract $100 billion in investments, increase passengers to 330 million, and connect Saudi Arabia to 250 international destinations by 2030.

Al-Khreisi added that Saudi Arabia also aims to showcase advanced air transport, sustainability programs, and efforts to improve passenger safety and experience, reinforcing its leadership in global aviation.

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US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank on Thursday, the Treasury Department said, as President Joe Biden steps up actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before he leaves office in January.
The move, which wields the department's most powerful sanctions tool, effectively kicks Gazprombank out of the US banking system, bans its trade with Americans and freezes its US assets, Reuters reported.
Gazprombank is one of Russia's largest banks and is partially owned by Kremlin-owned gas company Gazprom. Since Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has been urging the US to impose more sanctions on the bank, which receives payments for natural gas from Gazprom's customers in Europe.
The fresh sanctions come days after the Biden administration allowed Kyiv to use US ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. On Tuesday, Ukraine fired the weapons, the longest range missiles Washington has supplied for such attacks on Russia, on the war's 1,000th day.
The Treasury also imposed sanctions on 50 small-to-medium Russian banks to curtail the country's connections to the international financial system and prevent it from abusing it to pay for technology and equipment needed for the war. It warned that foreign financial institutions that maintain correspondent relationships with the targeted banks "entails significant sanctions risk."
"This sweeping action will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade US sanctions and fund and equip its military," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. "We will continue to take decisive steps against any financial channels Russia uses to support its illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine."
Gazprombank said Washington's latest move would not affect its operations. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Along with the sanctions, Treasury also issued two new general licenses authorizing US entities to wind down transactions involving Gazprombank, among other financial institutions, and to take steps to divest from debt or equity issued by Gazprombank.
Gazprombank is a conduit for Russia to purchase military materiel in its war against Ukraine, the Treasury said. The Russian government also uses the bank to pay its soldiers, including for combat bonuses, and to compensate the families of its soldiers killed in the war.
The administration believes the new sanctions improve Ukraine's position on the battlefield and ability to achieve a just peace, a source familiar with the matter said.
COLLATERAL IMPACT
While Gazprombank has been on the administration's radar for years, it has been seen as a last resort because of its focus on energy and the desire to avoid collateral impact on Europe, a Washington-based trade lawyer said.
"I think that the current administration is trying to put as much pressure and add as many sanctions as possible prior to January 20th to make it harder for the next administration to unwind," said the lawyer, Douglas Jacobson.
Officials in Slovakia and Hungary said they were studying the impacts of the new US sanctions.
Trump would have the power to remove the sanctions, which were imposed under an executive order by Biden, if he wants to take a different stance, Jacobson said.
After Russia's invasion in 2022, the Treasury placed debt and equity restrictions on 13 Russian firms, including Gazprombank, Sberbank and the Russian Agricultural Bank.
The US Treasury has also worked to provide Ukraine with funds from windfall proceeds of frozen Russian assets.