DUBAI: The UAE is reassessing its role and contributions across multilateral organizations but is not considering further withdrawals at this time, a UAE official said Reuters on Wednesday, a day after Abu Dhabi announced its withdrawal from Opec.
The Emirati official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the country is reviewing the benefits of its membership in multilateral organizations widely.
The statement comes amid intense speculation that Abu Dhabi could leave other regional bodies, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), following its surprise decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Opec+ effective May 1.
The comments add to a broader reassessment of alliances underway in Abu Dhabi since the start of the Iran war, with the GCC facing some criticism for what Abu Dhabi has called an inadequate response to the conflict.
“It is true that logistically the GCC countries supported each other, but politically and militarily I think their position was the weakest in history,” senior UAE official Anwar Gargash told a conference in the UAE on Monday.
“I expected such a weak position from the Arab League and I am not surprised by it, but I did not expect it from the GCC and I am surprised by it.”
Gargash had previously signaled that the UAE would “review” its regional and international relations to “determine who can be trusted”, pairing this review with measures to strengthen the UAE’s economic and financial position.
“Strategic autonomy remains the UAE’s enduring choice,” Gargash has said.
The UAE is a regional business and financial hub and one of Washington’s most important allies. It has pursued an assertive foreign policy and carved out its own sphere of influence in the Middle East and Africa.
