The results of the Russian-Saudi Business Forum in Riyadh have been summed up

A Russian-Saudi business forum was held in Riyadh. The event took place within the framework of the 9th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Russian-Saudi Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation and brought together representatives of government authorities, development institutions, leading businesses and the expert community of the two countries.

The Forum was co-organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Russian-Saudi and Russian-Arab Business Councils with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

The Forum was aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

His Royal Highness Prince Abdelaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, delivered a welcoming speech at the opening ceremony. He noted the high level of cooperation with Russia, stressed the importance of trust and productive dialogue between the two countries, and expressed confidence in the further development of joint energy projects.

Addressing the participants, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak noted the importance of the bilateral dialogue and invited the Saudi side to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2026, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be a guest country.: "The forum gathered more than 500 participants and demonstrated the high level of business interest of the two countries in the development of trade and economic ties. Russia and Saudi Arabia see great potential in expanding cooperation, and the conditions created – from direct flights to reducing administrative barriers – ensure the further growth of joint projects. During the Forum, several agreements were signed aimed at strengthening communications and developing cooperation, including an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual abolition of visa requirements."

During the official part, the following documents were signed: an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual abolition of visa requirements for holders of all types of passports, a memorandum of understanding on climate change and low-carbon development, as well as a memorandum of cooperation in the field of archival affairs.

The signed documents create new opportunities for business, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as form an additional impetus for the implementation of joint projects in various sectors of the economy.

As part of the Forum, a joint exhibition for high-tech Russian and Saudi companies was organized. Their products and innovative projects were presented to His Royal Highness Prince Abdelaziz bin Salman Al Saud and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak, and Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Board and Director of the Roscongress Foundation, conducted a tour of the exhibition. During their joint visit to the exhibition, the developments of Russian high-tech companies were presented, including solutions for hybrid logistics and electric mobility HYPER (RUSNANO Group), NexTouch interactive equipment, Ferry Watt vacuum and plasma equipment technologies, Reinnolz engineering solutions, Ecothermics systems, cybersecurity developments. Security JSC, Geoscan unmanned aircraft systems and cubesats, Aerolife innovative solutions, LSTK Frame Factory modular construction technologies, RealPay fintech platform. AFK Sistema PJSC, Sberbank PJSC and the Russian-Arab Business Council also took part in the exhibition.

The business program of the Forum focused on key areas of Russian-Saudi cooperation.: investments, energy, industry and mining, infrastructure, construction, agriculture, food security and digital technologies. Special attention was paid to the practical possibilities of implementing joint initiatives.

Yulia Zubarik, Director General of the architectural and Urban planning bureau Master's Plan and Advisor to the Expert and Analytical Department of the Roscongress Foundation, spoke at the presentation session "Russian-Saudi Opportunities in Urban Development". She stressed that the Roscongress Urban Hub, held annually as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, would become a key platform for further cooperation between the professional communities of the two countries.

The SPIEF visiting session "How Technologies are Changing Urban Infrastructure" was also held, organized jointly with the Russian-Saudi Business Council, moderated by Nikolai Vukolov, Managing Director for Business Development in the Middle East and North Africa Region of Sberbank. The participants discussed modern approaches to the development of the urban environment, the introduction of digital solutions, intelligent transport systems and urban management technologies. Summing up the discussion, Nikolai Vukolov invited his Russian and Saudi colleagues to discuss this topic on the sidelines of SPIEF 2026.

In addition, Alexander Stuglev met with Khaled Al-Khattaf, Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Investment Promotion Authority, on the sidelines of the Forum. The parties discussed further deepening of cooperation and the possibilities of the agency's system integration into the SPIEF 2026 program.

The Forum program was completed by bilateral B2B meetings, which were attended by representatives of leading businesses of the two countries and were able to establish direct contacts.

The event was an important step towards strengthening the strategic partnership between Russia and Saudi Arabia and took place against the background of preparations for a significant event – the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states.