UAE says OPEC, OPEC+ exit was sovereign strategic decision, not political move
16 May 202615:38 PM
UAE says OPEC, OPEC+ exit was sovereign strategic decision, not political move
Reuters
The United Arab Emirates' decision to withdraw from OPEC and ​OPEC+ was a sovereign and strategic ‌choice based on a comprehensive assessment of its production policy and future capabilities, the UAE ​energy minister, Suhail Al Mazrouei, said on ​Saturday in a post on X.

Mazrouei added ⁠that the move was not politically motivated and ​did not reflect divisions with partners.

The UAE ​announced late April that it was quitting OPEC on May 1, dealing a blow to the oil ​producers' group as an unprecedented energy ​crisis caused by the Iran war exposes discord ‌among ⁠Gulf nations.

"It is not driven by political considerations, nor does it reflect any division between the UAE and its partners", ​Mazrouei added.

The ​exit of ⁠the UAE - one of the group's biggest producers - weakens OPEC's ​control over global oil supplies and ​widens ⁠a rift between the UAE and its neighbour Saudi Arabia, effectively the leader of ⁠the ​Organization of the Petroleum ​Exporting Countries.