Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute, and a columnist for The National
September 10, 2023
While a significant breakthrough was made at the G20 summit in New Delhi, the week gone by has proved to be a challenging one for both Russia and Turkey.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi for talks to refloat the cancelled grain deal involving Ukraine. But the leaders failed to reach an agreement that would have allowed the resumption of Ukrainian grain shipments and eased food prices around the world.
The impact of this setback on the war in Ukraine and the frozen conflict in Syria is yet uncertain.
The rhythm of alliances today follows the tempo of the war in Eastern Europe, which appears to have dislodged Russia from the ranks of the major powers that also include the US and China.
Washington has redoubled efforts to push Moscow to the margins, the latest example of which has been its announcement of a $600 million aid package for Ukraine to boost its counteroffensive.
It is, meanwhile, actively engaged in diplomatic efforts with key Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, as part of its attempts to counter China’s influence in the continent. On Sunday, US President Joe Biden arrived in Hanoi to meet Vietnam’s paramount leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, in his bid to boost ties with the South-East Asian country.
From left, French President Emmanuel Macron, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visit Raj Ghat memorial. Reuters
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty visit the Akshardham Hindu Temple in New Delhi. Getty Images
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses a press conference during the G20 Summit in New Delhi. EPA
From left, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed attend the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance at the G20 summit in New Delhi. AP
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed and French President Emmanuel Macron attend the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Photo: UAE Presidential Court
From left, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian President Droupadi Murmu and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed at the G20 summit in New Delhi. AFP
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. AFP
The 18th G20 Summit between 19 countries and the European Union, and now the African Union, is the first to be held in India and South Asia. AFP
Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad, Private Affairs Advisor in the Presidential Court, left, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, attend the first session of the G20 Summit. UAE Presidential Court
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden attend a session as part of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. AFP
France's President Emmanuel Macron greets European Council President Charles Michel before the start of the second working session. AFP
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks with his advisors before the start of the second working session. AFP
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, US President Joe Biden, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speak before the start of the second working session. AFP
US President Joe Biden greets Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. AFP
Sheikh Mohamed arrives at the IECC Convention Centre. Photo: UAE Presidential Court
Sheikh Mohamed is greeted by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. UAE Presidential Court
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to the G20 summit. AFP
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq. Oman News Agency
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the G20 summit. Getty
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. AFP
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes US President Joe Biden to the G20 summit. AFP
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Getty
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the opening day of the G20 summit. AFP
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. AFP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa to the G20 summit, three weeks after the leaders were together at the Brics summit in Johannesburg. Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Reuters
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to host the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi. AFP
Important and pioneering achievements are what New Delhi sought to reveal at the summit
As in the case of the recently concluded Brics summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr Putin was forced to skip the G20 summit in India. And with another world leader, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also choosing to stay away from New Delhi, Mr Biden took centre stage at the summit, helping to secure a landmark deal on Saturday.
A multibillion-dollar India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor was announced, which includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Jordan, Israel and the EU, and is expected to enhance connectivity and integration between participating countries. In the coming weeks and months, details regarding the creation of a railway network linking India to the maritime routes in the Middle East, as well as connecting the Arab Gulf countries and the Levant, will be ironed out.
Mr Biden specifically thanked President Sheikh Mohamed for his key role in securing the deal. “I do want to say thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said at an event to unveil the initiative. “I don’t think we’d be here without you.”
Such important and pioneering breakthroughs are what New Delhi sought to reveal at the summit, where disputes were expected to intensify due to differing positions between the West and the Brics countries leaning more towards “non-alignment” between the US and China, as well as between Nato member states and Russia.
Turkey has attempted to play a distinctive role within Nato, of which it is a member, and in which it sees itself as enjoying a unique position as both a Middle Eastern and a European country.
Mr Erdogan succeeded in recent times in solidifying Ankara’s importance in Nato and acted as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine and secured the grain deal last year, until Russia decided to not renew it unless western countries provided financial guarantees.
Unfortunately, neither side could secure the old deal, or a new one, on Monday.
There have been misgivings between the two countries in recent months. There was, for instance, disappointment in Moscow in April when Ankara struck an agreement with Kyiv to supply Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to it. Turkey’s realignment within the Nato alliance has also not sit well with the Kremlin.
In Sochi, agreements over other issues were, therefore, hard to secure. These included oil pipeline projects, initially intended to somewhat replace the German Nord Stream 2, the Russian-financed nuclear reactor project in Turkey, and the conflict in Syria.
Moscow has been disconcerted by Ankara’s support for Ukraine, with the Turkish government continuing to not recognise the Russian annexation of Crimea. The Kremlin has also sought Ankara’s normalisation of ties, and engagement, with the Assad regime, with a view to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis and other issues.
There are several reasons for the restlessness being felt in Russian diplomacy today, especially amid a series of disappointing summits for Russia, which risks exacerbating its international isolation. The next stop for the leadership in Moscow is the UN General Assembly later this month, where it intends to test the loyalties of many of its old friends, and not just Turkey.
As for Ankara, it faces challenges on the domestic front. The collapse in the Turkish lira’s value is worrying, as is the crisis of the approximately four million Syrian refugees still living in the country. That the talks in Sochi did not yield the desired results will add to the list of troubles that the leadership in Turkey has to grapple with.
Syria will be a significant arena reflecting the consequences of Sochi. How this will precisely pan out, only time will tell.
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UK’s AI plan
AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
£10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
£100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
