Middle East

States from the Middle East have concluded about 600 investment deals. 44 ISDS cases have been brought against Middle Eastern countries, while investors from the region have initiated 44 cases as well.

In 2013, Al-Kharafi & Sons Co., investors from Kuwait, were awarded US$935 million under the Unified Agreement for the Investment of Arab Capital in the Arab States, in a dispute over a land-leasing contract for a tourism project in Libya, making it one of the largest known awards to date. They had only invested about US$5 million but the arbitration tribunal decided that Libya also had to compensate for profits that would have been made during the 90-year leasing contract and were now lost.

Photo: President of Azerbaijan / CC BY 4.0

(April 2020)

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | 1-Jul-2025
Key features include the exclusion of concessions for natural resources from its protection remit, the inclusion of sovereign wealth funds as "Investors" and a denial of benefits clause.
Public Radio of Armenia | 20-Jun-2025
Russia-based Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, the owner of Tashir Group, has initiated arbitration proceedings against France at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
NAM | 20-Jun-2025
L’homme d’affaires arménien basé en Russie Samvel Karapetyan, propriétaire du groupe Tashir, a engagé une procédure d’arbitrage contre la France devant le Centre international pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements.
CDR | 9-Apr-2025
A Swiss law firm is representing a UAE company in an ICSID arbitration against the African island nation, alleging expropriation of investments and unfair treatment.
Arab News | 13-Mar-2025
Egypt’s parliament has approved a bilateral investment protection agreement with Saudi Arabia, aiming to boost capital inflows, create jobs, and strengthen economic ties between the two nations.
Kluwer Arbitration Blog | 25-Feb-2025
The new bilateral investment treaty between India and the United Arab Emirates clarifies concerns around enforcing investor-State awards in India—at least for this BIT.
Yonhap | 2-Jan-2025
South Korea and Bahrain have signed a bilateral investment treaty on cementing the legal grounds for mutual investment and economic cooperation, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
The Hindu | 22-Nov-2024
Despite some departures, the India-UAE bilateral investment treaty establishes a continuity of India’s investment treaty practice.
SOMO | 15-Nov-2024
Large-scale mining projects highlight complex tensions between states, foreign investors, and local communities, leading to environmental and social risks for communities.
The Hindu | 7-Oct-2024
Enforcement of this pact with the UAE gives continuity of investment protection to investors of both the countries.