The Minister’s defense of Saudi stability follows recent drone and missile strikes that targeted critical infrastructure, including the East-West onshore pipeline and the international airport in Riyadh. While the pipeline was forced into a two-week shutdown, operations have since resumed at the Red Sea port of Yanbu. However, the physical reality of these attacks has triggered a diplomatic and logistical chill: top executives from ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies withdrew from the conference citing travel disruptions and safety concerns.
Despite these high-profile absences, Prince Abdulaziz framed Riyadh as the global capital of energy security. He emphasized that the Kingdom is prepared to fulfill its international obligations under a range of volatile circumstances. The recent Houthi-led attacks, which resulted in 14 fatalities at the capital’s airport, underscore the tension between the Saudi government’s insistence on market reliability and the tangible risks facing international partners operating within the region.
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