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Saudi Arabia is close to depositing $5bn in Turkiye Central Bank

23 Nov 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is in discussions with Turkiye to deposit $5 billion in the Turkish Central Bank, Reuters reported a spokesman of the Ministry of Finance in Riyadh as saying on Tuesday.

"We are in final discussion to make a $5bn deposit with the Central Bank of Turkiye," the spokesman said in an emailed response to Reuters.

A Turkish official said that discussions are at the final stage with Saudi Arabia over a swap or deposit agreement. However, the Central Bank declined to comment on the issue.

Cuba leader to visit Turkiye for talks

22 Nov 2022; MEMO: Cuban President, Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez, on Tuesday, will pay a three-day visit to Turkiye to have talks on bilateral relations between the countries, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will welcome Bermudez in the capital, Ankara, and the leaders will discuss the steps to enhance bilateral cooperation, Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

Qatar signs 27-year deal with China as LNG competition heats up

21 Nov 2022; MEMO: QatarEnergy has signed a 27-year deal to supply China's Sinopec with liquefied natural gas (LNG), the longest such LNG agreement, so far, as volatile markets drive buyers to seek long-term deals, Reuters reports.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, competition for LNG has become intense, with Europe, in particular, needing vast amounts to help replace Russian pipeline gas that used to make up almost 40 per cent of the continent's imports.

Israel: arms exports boosted by war in Ukraine and 'Abraham Accords'

21 Nov 2022; MEMO: The war in Ukraine and the so-called "Abraham Accords" have been a major boost for Israeli arms manufacturers, according to details of contracts revealed by Haaretz. Military and security exports have surged by 30 per cent over figures from previous years.

New contracts in 2021 totalled $11.3 billion, up from $8.6bn in 2020. Although this year is not yet over, arms export data indicates that Israel is on track to chalk up particularly high sales and a long list of enormous deals.

Qatar FIFA: 2.95m World Cup tickets sold

22 Nov 2022; MEMO: Nearly three million World Cup tickets have been sold for this years championship in Qatar, the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) announced yesterday.

"2.95mn tickets had been sold up to Sunday's opening day," a FIFA spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Mexico, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, France, India and Brazil were the "top buying markets."

Saudi denies oil output hike discussion, says OPEC+ may cut if needed

21 Nov 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia, on Monday, said that OPEC+ was sticking with oil output cuts and could take further measures to balance the market amid falling prices, denying a report it was considering boosting output, according to state news agency, SPA, Reuters reports.

The Wall Street Journal, earlier on Monday, reported an output increase of 500,000 barrels per day was under discussion for the next meeting of OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, on 4 December. The report cited unidentified OPEC delegates.

Tunisia, France sign $206m deal for budget support

20 Nov 2022; MEMO: Tunisia and France have signed a 200-million-euro (about $206.9 million) deal to support the North African country's budget, Anadolu reports.

The agreement was signed by Tunisian Economy Minister Samer Saied and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th Francophonie summit held in Tunisia.

A statement by the Ministry of Economy quoted Saied as saying that the agreement aims to help Tunisia redress its financial balance and to implement reform plans.

Senior Israeli defense official set to visit Athens to discuss arms sale

20 Nov 2022; MEMO: A senior Israeli defense official will soon visit Athens to discuss arms sales, Greek media reported on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

The visit by Amir Eshel, director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, who has the authority to discuss in depth the sales of Israeli weapons to Greece, signals Tel Aviv's long-term commitment to bilateral relations with Athens, said daily Kathimerini.

Iran bans import of French automobiles

18 Nov 2022; MEMO: Iran has imposed a ban on the import of French automobiles due to "unprofessional behaviour" of the country, the Industry, Mine and Trade has announced, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Omid Qalibaf, a Ministry spokesman, said in a statement that the government has not issued any fresh license for importing French cars "over the past few months", underlining growing bilateral tensions.

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