Qatar will leave the OPEC. The difference may have given economic motives. However, in the foreign political Situation of the Emirate, the decision carries with it a special poignancy.
After 57 years. Qatar will quit the organization of petroleum exporting countries (OPEC), announced on Monday morning, the Qatari energy Minister, Saad al-Katabi. The country has communicated to OPEC its decision, the phase-out to January next year. Thus, Qatar’s membership, the 1961 ends, a year after the founding of the organization, whose member was.
Qatar is a very small member country of OPEC, founded al-Katabi step. To put “time, effort and resources in an organization, in which we have little to say, not,” the Minister works for us. “It is better if we concentrate on our large growth capital.” What is meant is the gas market.
The withdrawal from the OPEC, reflect the desire of Qatar to focus on the increase in gas production, further quoted the companies Qatar Petroleum and the Minister of energy. Al-Katabi, Qatar wants to increase the gas production by the year 2024 annual 77 million tons to 110 million tons. The Gas comes from the South Pars field off the coast of the Emirate, the largest gas field in the world. Qatar, the largest LNG producer in the world, exploiting the field jointly with Iran. Already, 30 percent of the world market of liquid gas from Qatar come about.
The Future Market Of Natural Gas
The concentration on this market is likely to have played the largest role in the decision, presumed to be Thomas Richter, expert for the Arab States of the Gulf to the Hamburg-based Think-Tank, the GIGA’s. “Qatar is now the largest producer of LPG in the world. Since it is close to invest in this direction,” said Richter in an interview with DW.
Qatar, a market of the future: natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas
It’s fitting that Qatar produces in comparison to other OPEC countries – for example Saudi-Arabia – relatively small amounts of oil. Finally, there were around 600,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia promotes eleven million.
“Given this Situation, it’s almost a natural process,” says judge. “The oil production for Qatar is so important. Also has disconnected the gas market in the past year, the Oil market in Parts. Also about Qatar in the OPEC policy has only little interest.”
The political Background
Economic motives may have played in the decision, the essential role. However, the decision to exit also fell against the Background of the deterioration in the relations of Qatar with some of its neighbors, in particular Saudi Arabia.
In June 2017 the Saudi Kingdom had imposed, together with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt an economic boycott against Qatar. The government in Riyadh, accused in Doha to maintain overly close relations with the Saudi arch-rival Iran. Also care Qatar brothers too close to the Muslim. Saudi Arabia puts them in the proximity of terrorist organizations. In addition, Qatar should close his internationally most successful news channel Al-Jazeera. Its political orientation to displease the Royal house of al-Saud. These, as well as the other receivables from Riyadh, Doha rejected.
The withdrawal from OPEC is at least in part, a response to the Boycott, indicated the Minister of energy al-Katabi already last year, in an Interview with Al-Jazeera just today on his website published. In it al-Katabi was not a pointed remark in the direction of the Riyadh-led Boycott of the resist. “I would like to thank the four countries for their Blockade, because it has made Qatar, its citizens and their businesses stronger. We will emerge from this affair strengthened,” al-Katabi.
Ironic “thank you” to neighboring States: the Qatari energy Minister, Saad al-Katabi
In a trust relationship to the four States you’ve worked “over the years”. “Now, it’s broken overnight,” says al-Katabi in the Interview. But this could affect Qatar’s nothing: “These countries are not able to prevent us from international transactions. You can do smaller things, but I think in the long term they will harm themselves more than us.”
Signal the direction of the USA?
So the policy is likely to have played in the recent decision, presumed to be Thomas Richter. In principle, the political constellation in the Gulf region will not change, however. Although care Qatar already good relations with Iran, as documented, for example, in the common management of the gas Field. Also the country has good relations with Turkey, not only since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in a difficult relationship to Saudi Arabia. “But I wouldn’t call that an Alliance of these three countries – that would be too much.” The output of this approach is completely open. Also, because Qatar could not afford a too-close political relationship with Iran, without the good relationship with the United States.
In this direction, so the judge could also be the exit from the OPEC interpreted: “Trump has criticized the OPEC in the past few weeks, for their price policy is not repeated. He wants that Oil prices will not decrease, so that the gasoline prices in the U.S. continue to rise.” Maybe this is not understand as a Signal to the US that Qatar join the previous price strategy. Now Qatar is a close ally of the United States. By the recent decision of this ratio could be even closer. And this, in turn, is likely to be observed in the Riad with some concern.
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