UAE welcomes regional rivals at major natural gas conference

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — 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. In a scene that would have been unthinkable just a year ago, the ministers shared a stage on Tuesday at the largest gas expo in the world and the industry’s first in-person conference since the pandemic began. It was the first such visit since the UAE and three other Arab states imposed an embargo on tiny 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.