UAE: UAE welcomes regional competitors at major gas conference

Energy officials come from Qatar And Turkey, the long-time enemy of the United Arab Emirates, descends Dubai Join hundreds of other executives on Tuesday to flock to the world’s largest natural gas expo and the industry’s first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic began.

In an unimaginable scenario a year ago, the UAE Minister of Petroleum emerged from the crowded conference room next to the Minister of State for Energy of Qatar. This was the first such visit since the Minister of Energy of Qatar. UAE In 2017, three other Arab countries imposed an embargo on Qatar.

Also present at the meeting was the Deputy Minister of Energy from Turkey. He also disagrees with the UAE on the issue of the Turkish government’s support for Islamic organizations in the Middle East.

But the long-simmering political differences were not mentioned in the event on Tuesday.Instead, the carpeted hall was buzzing and talking happily natural gas In the coming energy transition of the world. The exhibition comes as world leaders prepare for the important UN climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November.

“We think natural gas will definitely be part of the solution…I think we need to work together to ensure that this difficult task we are doing can be realized,” Saad al-Kaabi ) Declared that Qatar’s energy affairs country has the largest natural gas reserves in the world.

When a group of reporters asked about the economic benefits of improving relations with the UAE, al-Kaabi kept it short.

“Our relationship with the UAE is very good, and any business dealings we are doing…will not be discussed,” he said.

The officials did not shake hands or elbows, but the group photo alone revealed a shift in foreign policy as the UAE tried to bury the hatchet with its regional rivals. Last month, the influential UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnun bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before flying to Qatar Talks with his ruling Emir.

A series of diplomacy aimed to repair the tensions that arose from Turkey and Qatar’s support of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, which gave power to Islamists throughout the region. On the one hand, Turkey and Qatar, on the other, the rift between the Gulf Arab powers, which intensified the war from Libya to Syria, and the boycott of Qatar that ended earlier this year ultimately failed.

The background of relaxation is appropriate. Every energy-dependent country is paying more and more attention to how to promote economic recovery after the pandemic. Officials discussed the escalation of prices due to the tightening of natural gas supplies and the queuing of dozens of tankers off the coast of Qatar. When fossil fuels are still the key to the world’s electricity supply, they are skeptical of the frenzied push to eliminate carbon emissions.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said: “I think we have to be realistic, but unfortunately, people are now emotional about net zero and its speed.”

Turkey has been arguing with neighboring countries over drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean in its push to become an energy center, and it is also trying to ease tensions with long-term rivals such as Egypt.

Alparslan Bayraktar, Deputy Minister of Energy of Turkey, told reporters that he hopes that the country’s natural gas discoveries and projects will “help us resolve some regional conflicts, conflicts between our neighboring countries.”

After years of US sanctions restricting Iranian oil sales, this mild optimism even extends to the prospect of more Iranian oil entering the market in the future.

“(Iran) looks forward to returning to the market to play a constructive role,” said OPEC Secretary-General Mohamed Sanussi Barkindo.

However, negotiations between Iran and the world’s major powers on the resumption of the nuclear agreement have been stalled for several months, and Barkindo admitted that he could not provide a timetable for Iran’s return.

“We must take all measures step by step,” he said.