Gas-producing countries must make clear that they oppose trade barriers and "discriminatory measures" that disadvantage energy products, Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said on Thursday.

"We must be clear in our opposition to trade barriers and discriminatory measures that disadvantage energy products, especially natural gas,” Al-Kaabi said at a ministerial meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Doha.

He did not clarify what he was referencing. However, Qatar and the United States have heaped pressure on the European Union to scale back a law on sustainability rules, which could fine violators 5% of global revenue.

Al-Kaabi told Reuters last week that Qatar will not be able to do business in the EU, including supplying liquefied natural gas, if further changes are not made to the bloc's corporate sustainability rules.

On Thursday, al-Kaabi also said that the outlook for natural gas and particularly LNG is positive, "despite geopolitical tensions and faltering climate policies".

The positive outlook is driven by economic growth in Asia and booming power demand from data centers and artificial intelligence, he said.

(Reporting by Sarah El Safty; Writing by Yousef Saba and Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Susan Fenton)