DUBAI: The UAE is reassessing its role and contributions in 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 was broadly reviewing the usefulness of its membership in multilateral organizations.
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 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,” a senior UAE official, Anwar Gargash, said at 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 previously signaled that the UAE would “review” its regional and international relations to “determine who can be counted on”, pairing the review with measures to strengthen the UAE’s economic and financial position.
“Strategic autonomy remains the UAE’s enduring choice,” Gargash said.
The United Arab Emirates is a regional trade and financial center and one of Washington’s most important allies. He pursued an assertive foreign policy and carved out his own sphere of influence in the Middle East and Africa.
