UAE welcomes regional rivals at major natural gas conference

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — 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...