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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)

Satisfaction des banques après la condamnation de Bahreïn, Manama conteste
L’Orient Le Jour | 1-Dec-2021
Téhéran s’est félicité dimanche de la récente condamnation de Bahreïn à verser plus de 200 millions d’euros de compensation à deux banques iraniennes expropriées par ce pays arabe du Golfe.
Bahrain , finance | banking | taxes , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iran
UAE firm files lawsuit worth around Rs 74 billion against State Bank of Pakistan
Devdiscourse | 22-Nov-2021
An UAE-based trading and investment firm has filed a lawsuit before the Sindh High Court worth around Rs 74 billion against the State Bank of Pakistan and a private bank for BIT breach, local media reported.
investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Pakistan , UAE
Another Turkish firm moves ICSID against Pakistan
The Express Tribune | 18-Oct-2021
Turkish construction company Bayindir filed a claim under the 1995 Turkey-Pakistan bilateral investment treaty at the ICSID on October 12.
investor-state disputes | ISDS , Pakistan , services , Türkiye
Ethiopia wins major International Court case against Israeli firm ICL
The Reporter | 15-Aug-2021
The Hague based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) passed its final judgment on Friday rejecting the Israel based mining company’s, Israel Chemical Limited (ICL) compensation claims filed against the government of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Israel , Netherlands
Sept ans après l’affaire Korek, nuées de critiques contre le CIRDI
JuriGuide | 3-Jun-2021
Le groupe koweïtien Agility estime avoir été exproprié par l’État irakien dans le cadre du rachat d’une entreprise locale en commun avec le groupe français Orange.
investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iraq , telecommunications
Turkey is the latest victim of a billion-dollar corporate heist
TRT | 23-Apr-2021
A Canadian mining company is suing Turkey for $1 billion at a secretive arbitration court over the cancellation of a mine project that was deemed disastrous for the environment.
Canada , environment , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , Türkiye
Alamos Gold’s units to file $1 bln investment treaty claim against Turkey
Reuters | 21-Apr-2021
Miner Alamos Gold said its Netherlands units will file an investment treaty claim exceeding $1 billion against Turkey for "unfair and inequitable treatment" with its gold mining project.
environment , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , Netherlands , Türkiye
En Irak, Orange réclame justice dans un terrain miné
Le Monde Arabe | 6-Apr-2021
Pour Orange, l’Irak du début des années 2010 était un marché juteux et à fort potentiel de croissance, après l’intervention américaine avait laissé un pays en ruine.
France , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iraq , telecommunications
Draft unified agreement for the investment of Arab capital in the Arab states (amended, Jan 2013)
UNCTAD | 25-Feb-2021
BITs (texts of) , investor-state disputes | ISDS , North Africa , West Asia
Why Gadhafi’s private jet is gathering dust on a French airfield
CNN | 24-Feb-2021
An aribtral tribunal ordered Libya to pay the Al Kharafi Group $930 million in damages. The Al Kharafi Group sued the Libyan state in France too, so when Gadhafi’s A340 landed in France, they sought to have it impounded.
France , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Kuwait , Libya , services