The UAE withdrew from the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), which was established in 1968 and now includes ten member states after Abu Dhabi’s withdrawal: Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Syria, and Tunisia.

Published on: 04/05/2026 - 11:20

The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) said that the UAE has decided to withdraw from its membership.

The decision comes a few days after the Gulf state also announced its withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the OPEC+ alliance.

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In this context, OAPEC said in a statement on Sunday evening: “The General Secretariat of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries took note of the letter of His Excellency Engineer Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates, addressed to His Excellency Dr. Khalifa Rajab Abdel Sadiq, Minister of Oil and Gas of the State of Libya, and Chairman of the current session of the Organization’s Council of Ministers, containing the decision of the United Arab Emirates to withdraw from membership in the organization.”

The statement explained that the decision to withdraw from the UAE, which joined the organization in 1970, entered into force on May 1.

OAPEC, which was founded in 1968, includes ten member states after the UAE’s withdrawal, namely Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Syria, and Tunisia.

The statement also stated: “The Organization’s General Secretariat expresses its appreciation for the role played by the United Arab Emirates throughout the period of its membership, and its effective contributions in supporting the process of joint Arab action in the petroleum and energy sector.”

The UAE, one of the largest oil producing countries in the world, announced on April 28 its withdrawal from OPEC and the OPEC+ alliance, and the decision entered into force on Friday. It had previously disagreed with OPEC over production quotas.

Also, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the rest of the OPEC+ countries raised oil production quotas as expected on Sunday, in a decision aimed at showing continuity in the alliance despite the UAE’s withdrawal from it.

OPEC+'s untapped reserves are mainly concentrated in the Gulf region affected by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Iranian war on it on February 28, and the blockade imposed by the United States on Iranian ports in response.

France 24/AFP

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