DUBAI: Qatar recorded a budget surplus of 2.6 billion riyals ($713.31 million) in the second quarter of 2024, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday, adding it would use it to reduce public debt. The Gulf state, among the world’s biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas, posted a surplus of 2 billion riyals in the first quarter. Total revenue for the second quarter was down 12.4 percent compared to the prior year period, at 59.9 billion riyals, the ministry said, after weaker demand curbed international gas prices.