Trump energy secretary sees ‘huge cooperation’ with the UAE

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright kicked off his tour of the Gulf this week with a palace visit in Abu Dhabi and a tour of the UAE’s state oil company.

Wright, laying the groundwork for President Donald Trump’s trip to the region, expected next month, was received by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed on Thursday for talks that focused on joint investments in artificial intelligence and other technologies, The National reports.

The U.S. energy czar, founder of an oil fracking company, also paid a visit to the Abu Dhabi headquarters of Adnoc, where he said partnerships with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were key to meeting growing global demand for oil and gas. He also plans to visit Riyadh and Doha during the trip.

“You’re going to see a lot of energy cooperation between the United States and the UAE,” Wright told reporters. “You’re going to see a huge cooperation on AI.”

Also meeting Wright at Qatr Al Shati Palace in the UAE capital were Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the ADNOC Chairman and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; and Yousef Al Otaiba, Minister of State and the UAE’s Ambassador to Washington.

Trump to send Energy Secretary Wright on two-week trip to Gulf

With petroleum prices plunging and a global trade war on the horizon, the White House is sending U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to spend quality time with top oil producers in the Middle East.

Wright, the founder of Denver, Colorado fracking company Liberty Energy before joining President Donald Trump’s Cabinet this year, will visit the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar during his two-week sojourn starting on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Scheduled to meet the Gulf’s top government and corporate leaders, Wright will set the stage for Trump’s visit to the region, which is expected to take place in mid-May.

The extended visit comes as oil prices have hit a four-year low following the OPEC+ decision to lift restrictions on production that have kept prices high for the past two years.

Wright will seek to ensure an abundant global supply of oil beyond countries where the United States has sanctions on oil exports including Iran, Venezuela and Russia, Reuters reports.

Discussions will also focus on investments by the three countries in the U.S. after the UAE last month committed to spend $1.4 trillion in the No. 1 superpower over the next 10 years.

Trump asked Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in January to boost his planned U.S. investment package to $1 trillion from an initial $600 billion.