The Kremlin said Saudi Arabia will be featured as the “guest of honor” at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, SPIEF, in 2026, which opens this week. The Russian presidency said Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman will lead a high-level delegation of major national institutions and companies, headed by Saudi Aramco. The announcement coincided with talks in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Lavrov said Saudi Arabia’s selection as the guest country for 2026 carried major historical symbolism, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He praised Saudi Arabia’s strong participation in the 2025 forum, also led by Prince Abdulaziz, which included productive talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Through its national pavilion, the Kingdom will showcase its investment, export, and tourism potential, hold business talks, and present a rich cultural program. Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to the Russian president, said the participation would inject new momentum into the strategic partnership between Moscow and Riyadh across energy, industry, transport, finance, and high technology. Saudi Arabia now joins other Global South countries that have previously received the honorary status, including Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrain. Founded in 1997, the St. Petersburg forum is Russia’s leading annual economic conference. It brings together heads of state, finance ministers, and chief executives from Russian and international companies to discuss challenges facing emerging markets and the global economy. The forum draws more than 10,000 participants each year from about 100 countries. In 2025, it posted a record turnout of 24,200 participants from 144 countries and saw agreements worth 6.48 trillion rubles ($89 billion) signed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has regularly attended the forum’s plenary sessions since 2005, except from 2008 to 2011, when Dmitry Medvedev attended. This year’s list of official partners and sponsors includes more than 100 major companies and institutions, led by key partners Rosatom and VEB.RF, along with banking and energy players, including Sberbank, Gazprom, and Novatek.
