UAE welcomes regional rivals at major natural gas conference
Energy officials from Qatar and Turkey, two long-standing foes of the United Arab Emirates, have descended on Dubai along with hundreds of other executives
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Energy officials from Qatar and Turkey long-standing foes of the United Arab Emirates, descended on Dubai along with hundreds of other executives on Tuesday, flocking to the world's largest gas expo and the industry’s first in-person conference since the pandemic began.
In a scene that would have been unthinkable just a year ago, the Emirati oil minister held forth from a crowded conference room beside the Qatari energy minister, the first such visit since the UAE and three other Arab states imposed an embargo on Qatar in 2017.
Also present was the deputy energy minister from Turkey, similarly at odds with the UAE over the Turkish government’s support for Islamist groups in the Middle East.
But there was no mention of those long-simmering political differences at Tuesday’s event. Instead, the carpeted halls buzzed with cheery talk of the importance of natural gas in the world's looming energy transition. The exhibition came as world leaders prepare for a crucial U.N. climate summit, in Glasgow in November.
“We think gas is definitely going to be part of the solution ... I think we need to join hands to make sure that this mammoth task that we're embarking on can be practically achieved," declared Saad al-Kaabi, energy minister of Qatar, home to some of the world’s largest gas reserves.
When asked by a crush of reporters about the economic yield of improved relations with the UAE, al-Kaabi kept it brief.
“Our relationship is good with the UAE and any business dealings we’re doing ... will not be discussed,” he said.
The officials refrained from shaking hands or bumping elbows but the group photo alone revealed a foreign policy shift, as the UAE seeks to bury the hatchet with its regional rivals. Last month, the influential Emirati national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Turkish President President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, before flying to Qatar for talks with its ruling emir.
The flurry of diplomacy aims to mend ties that frayed over Turkey and Qatar’s support for the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that empowered Islamists across the region. The rift between Turkey and Qatar on one side and Gulf Arab powerhouses on the other has fueled wars from Libya to Syria as well as the ultimately unsuccessful boycott of Qatar, which ended earlier this year.
The backdrop for the detente was fitting, with each energy-dependent country increasingly preoccupied with how to fuel a post-pandemic economic recovery. The officials discussed a crunch in natural gas supply that has led prices to surge and scores of tankers to line up off Qatar's coast. They expressed skepticism about the frenzied push to eliminate carbon emissions when fossil fuels remain key to supplying the world's electricity.
“I think we have to be realistic, but unfortunately there is a drive now for being emotional about net zero and its pace," said Emirati Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei.
Turkey, which has sparred with neighbors over drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean in its push to become an energy hub, has similarly sought to cool tensions with long-time rivals like Egypt.
Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey's deputy energy minister, told reporters he hoped the country's gas discoveries would “help us to solve some of the regional conflicts, our conflicts between neighbors.”
The modest optimism even extended to the prospect of more Iranian oil coming on the market in the future after years of U.S. sanctions throttling Iranian oil sales.
“(Iran) looks forward to coming back to the market to play their constructive role,” said OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo.
But negotiations between Iran and world powers on reviving their nuclear deal have stalled for months, and Barkindo admitted he could offer no timeline for Iran's return.
"We have to take everything step by step," he said.