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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)

Iran’s accession to ICSID: What to expect?
EFILA | 24-Jan-2017
Joining the ICSID will enhance international perceptions of Iran as a welcoming country to invest.
ICSID , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iran
UAE serves arbitration notice to India for failure to offer bauxite
Mining Weekly | 16-Jan-2017
The Indian government has been served with a notice for international arbitration by the United Arab Emirates’ Ras Al-Khaimah Investment Authority
India , investor-state disputes | ISDS , natural resources , UAE
Argentina is back in the BIT negotiation arena
Investment Claims | 21-Dec-2016
The recent signature of the Argentina-Qatar Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and the imminent signature of an Argentina-Japan BIT represent a shift in Argentina’s BIT policy.
Argentina , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Japan , Qatar
TRC reaches final settlement with Orange Jordan
The Jordan Times | 4-Nov-2016
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) signed a settlement agreement with Orange Jordan, ending a dispute related to the renewal of the company’s second-generation (2G) network.
finance | banking | taxes , France , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Jordan , telecommunications
Mekorot demands €50m damages from Cypriot gov’t
Globes | 6-Oct-2016
A Mekorot subsidiary is threatening to sue Cyprus under its investment treaty with Israel.
Cyprus , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Israel , water
Iran signs off on a radical investment treaty: barring arbitrators from wearing two hats, narrowing protections, and limiting damages awards
IA Reporter | 5-Sep-2016
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Slovak Republic have signed off on a deeply iconoclastic investment treaty.
investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iran , ISDS reform , Slovakia
M. Iskandar Safa dépose un recours contre la République grecque auprès du CIRDI
Le Lézard | 23-Jun-2016
M. Iskandar Safa, co-propriétaire du Groupe Privinvest, un acteur dans le secteur de la construction navale, qui a pris le contrôle de Hellenic Shipyards SA, a présenté une requête d’arbitrage contre la République grecque au CIRDI
Greece , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Lebanon
Iskandar Safa submits claim against the Hellenic Republic with ICSID
PR Newswire | 23-Jun-2016
Iskandar Safa, co-owner of the Privinvest Group, a global player in the shipbuilding industry, which took control of Hellenic Shipyards SA, submitted a request for arbitration against the Hellenic Republic at the World Bank’s ICSID.
finance | banking | taxes , Greece , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Lebanon
S’pore, Iran ink bilateral treaty on investment
Asia One | 4-Mar-2016
Singapore has moved quickly to sign an investment treaty with oil-rich Iran to support Singapore firms investing in an economy that is emerging after the recent lifting of global sanctions.
investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iran , natural resources , Singapore
Japan and the Islamic Republic of Iran sign a bilateral investment agreement
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry | 16-Feb-2016
The Agreement stipulates rules for investment protection and the development of an investment environment.
investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Iran , Japan , natural resources