Prince Abdulaziz opens the IEF17 ministerial in Riyadh, calling the city the capital of energy security

11 October 2026

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman spoke at the opening of the International Energy Forum's ministerial meeting (IEF17) in Riyadh on Sunday, 11 October 2026, which marked the start of Riyadh Energy Week. "I am proud to say that this country, and the city of Riyadh, is the capital of energy security," he said. He said energy security requires cooperation among countries and that the Kingdom would keep meeting its commitments to global markets. He cited the East-West Pipeline, which links Eastern Province production centres to Yanbu on the Red Sea, as an example of investment in supply resilience. He said further pipeline work was under way. The IEF says IEF17 is hosted by Saudi Arabia with Italy and Nigeria as co-hosts, and that Italy will host IEF18 in 2028.