Qatar’s energy minister: ‘Keep energy above politics’, as Doha and Riyadh sign cooperation MoU

Qatar and Saudi Arabia sign an energy MoU, as Al-Kaabi urges the world to keep energy “above politics”.

Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi called for a new world energy order in which energy is kept above politics and never made a victim or target of conflict, in remarks at the 17th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial Meeting in Riyadh on Sunday.

“Energy security must unite us, not divide us; it must be protected, not weaponised,” he said, according to a QatarEnergy statement.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Qatar and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) laying the framework for joint cooperation across the energy industry. Al-Kaabi signed for Qatar, and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud signed for the kingdom.

The MoU covers oil and gas and their derivatives, refining, petrochemicals, electricity, clean hydrogen, renewable energy, and energy efficiency and storage. It also addresses emission reduction and climate change mitigation technologies, including carbon capture, transport, reuse and storage, and coordination on energy, sustainability and climate change in international initiatives and frameworks. It will take effect once legal procedures are completed in both countries.

In his address, Al-Kaabi said the conflict in the region has caused “by far, the world’s worst energy crisis,” affecting the flow of around 20% of the world’s hydrocarbon supplies. He said many energy assets across the region had been targeted, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage and severe volatility in global markets.

“If there is one lesson we have learned from the past few months, it is that energy security, as critical as it is to the global economy, remains highly vulnerable and inseparable from geopolitical security,” he said.

Al-Kaabi also pointed to the human cost, noting that a billion people still lack access to electricity and that about four billion depend on food produced using manufactured fertilisers. “The impact on all those lives should remind us of our shared responsibility to safeguard energy security, protect the free flow of energy, and keep energy above politics and conflicts,” he said.

He urged the forum to explore every avenue to protect energy infrastructure during conflict. “It is a real problem that energy infrastructure has become both an economic asset and a strategic military target,” he said.

He opened his remarks by expressing Qatar’s “unwavering solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its leadership and people during these times”.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the families of those killed in these horrible attacks and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he added.

The ministerial meeting was held under the theme “Energy Security – A Shared Responsibility: Market Fundamentals, Supply Chain Resilience, and the New Dynamics of Demand and Supply.”

It was opened by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and attended by energy ministers, government representatives, industry leaders and international organisations. It forms part of Riyadh Energy Week, alongside the 25th WPC Energy Congress.