The visit will be the first of its kind since restoring diplomatic ties following the Al-Ula declaration. 

Qatar’s energy minister and his Turkish counterpart will attend the Gastech conference in Dubai in the first high-level Qatari official visit to the UAE since the Gulf crisis.

According to the organising company, the Qatari energy minister and President and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Petroleum Saad Al-Kaabi will attend the Dubai World Trade Centre event later this month.

The Gastech conference- the world’s leading exhibition and conference supporting the gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy industry- is scheduled from 21-23 September.

During the meeting, which will focus on the future of energy, Al-Kaabi will participate in the opening ministerial panel alonside ministers from neighbouring oil-rich countries.

“At Gastech’s opening ministerial panel, ministers from the world’s leading energy economies will provide unique insights into the government policies shaping the gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy industry’s decarbonisation journey. As well as the important role that public-private collaboration and cooperation will play in creating the world’s sustainability agenda,” said Christopher Hudson, President of DMG Events, the organisers of Gastech.

“Al Kaabi will be joined in the panel session by H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates; H.E. Fatih Dönmez, Minister of Energy & Natural Resources, Turkey; H.E. Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia; and H.E. Mohammad Barkindo Sanusi, Secretary-General, OPEC,” according to the press release.

This visit will be the first of its kind since the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt collectively severed ties with Qatar in 2017, imposing an illegal air, land and sea blockade over terrorism claims. Qatar has consistently rejected those allegations.

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On January 5 this year, Qatar and the former blockading countries signed the Al-Ula Accord in Saudi Arabia, marking the end of the Gulf crisis that fragmented the region.

Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar will also be attending the conference.

Qatar-Turkish relations have noticeably strengthened since the 2017 Gulf crisis. Relations between Turkey and the UAE have also been cold due to conflicts in Libya and Syria.

In August, the countries’ leaders held a call after the UAE’s National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the brother of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, visited Ankara.

In the first such visit since the GCC crisis, the Emirati official met with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.

According to Bloomberg, a source familiar with the matter said the upcoming visit comes after a noticeable improvement in relations between the neighbouring countries.

“The Gastech Strategic Conference draws together leadership, policymakers, and key energy customers together to map out a future low-emission landscape. Key pillars include tackling the challenges of methane, decarbonisation, A.I. and digital, consumer demand, and ‘mission critical’ market trends for achieving net-zero carbon emissions,” a statement read.