UAE reviewing multilateral ties after Opec exit but rules out more departures, says official

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates is reassessing its role and contributions across multilateral organisations but is not considering any further withdrawals at this time, a UAE official told Reuters on Wednesday, a day after Abu Dhabi announced its withdrawal from Opec.

The Emirati official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the country is reviewing the utility of its membership in multilateral organisations broadly.

The statement comes amid intense speculation that Abu Dhabi could exit other regional bodies, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), following its surprise decision to leave the Organisation 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 have not expected it from the GCC, and I am surprised by it."

Gargash had earlier signalled that the UAE would "scrutinise" its regional and international relations to "determine who can be relied upon", pairing that 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 across the Middle East and Africa.