Qatar, UAE extend oil field concession to Japan amid crisis

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have each extended a concession to an offshore oil field they share to a Japanese consortium despite a diplomatic crisis between the two of them tearing at the region.

Both Qatar and the UAE on Tuesday acknowledged the extension of the concession at the al-Bunduq offshore field in the Persian Gulf, which the two countries have equally shared since 1969.

But even what should be a routine concession ran up against the ongoing boycott of Qatar by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Qatar Petroleum described the concession as showing "its international reputation as a trustworthy national oil company and a reliable energy provider at all times."

The UAE meanwhile said the concession involved "no direct communication or engagement between the two states."