Emirados Árabes deixam a Opep após seis décadas e colocam em xeque controle do cartel sobre o petróleo

A decisão dos Emirados Árabes Unidos de abandonar a Opep pegou de surpresa seus parceiros históricos na terça-feira, exposing a deep rift within the oil producers' group and raising immediate questions about the cartel's ability to maintain influence over global crude markets. Abu Dhabi announced it would exit the organization within days, ending a six-decade membership that positioned the Gulf state as the third-largest producer inside the group.

Authorities from other member countries reacted with visible astonishment, reflecting the abruptness of a move that many did not anticipate despite months of escalating tensions between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. At the heart of the dispute lies a fundamental disagreement over production strategy: the Emiratis are seeking greater freedom to increase output without the quotas and constraints imposed by OPEC's collective framework. Saudi Arabia, serving as the de facto leader of the cartel, had resisted these pressures, insiders indicate.

The timing amplifies the strategic consequences. OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, have historically wielded considerable power to swing global oil prices by coordinating production cuts or increases. With the UAE now operating outside that framework, the group loses a significant producing nation that had been instrumental in implementing supply discipline. Market analysts warn the development could accelerate a shift in how oil-exporting nations structure their relationships, potentially fragmenting the coordinated approach that has defined the cartel for decades.