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

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- 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 minister of state for energy, 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.