Faisal bin Farhan meets Rubio in Atlanta; Washington officially signs on to Expo 2030 Riyadh
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meetings in Atlanta and signed a contract making the United States an official participant in Expo 2030 Riyadh.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio in Atlanta, on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty foreign ministers' meeting, in a meeting that concluded with the signing of a contract that confers official participant status on the United States at Expo 2030, which the Saudi capital Riyadh will host.
The meeting took place Friday evening Atlanta time, corresponding to the early hours of Saturday, 31 October 2026 Baghdad time, in the presence of the Kingdom's ambassador to Washington, Princess Reema bint Bandar bint Sultan.
Strategic ties and regional issues
The two ministers discussed strategic relations between Riyadh and Washington and ways to develop cooperation in priority areas, in addition to exchanging views on current regional issues and efforts to address the challenges facing the region, including the situations in Yemen and Sudan and the Iranian dossier.
Washington an official participant in Expo Riyadh
Following the meeting, the two sides signed the United States' participation contract for the expo as an official participant, which provides an official framework for proceeding with preparations and represents the first step in planning the American pavilion at the exhibition.
During the signing ceremony, Rubio said the contract announces the United States' official commitment to participate in Expo 2030, calling the expo an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relationship with the Kingdom, showcase American innovation and expand commercial opportunities for U.S. companies. Faisal bin Farhan thanked his counterpart for his support of the expo, saying he looks forward to seeing the American pavilion and what it will present.
The expo opens its doors in Riyadh on 1 October 2030 and runs until March 2031. The Kingdom expects it to attract more than 42 million visitors from over 200 countries, making it one of the largest platforms for public diplomacy and commerce of the current decade.
Meetings with Lavrov, Anand and Kallas
On the sidelines of the same meetings, the Saudi foreign minister met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The two sides discussed bilateral relations and the main regional developments, foremost among them the escalation in Yemen, the continued threats facing navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, and efforts aimed at enhancing the security and stability of the region.
He also met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, with both sides condemning the ongoing attacks carried out by the Houthis against the Kingdom. He discussed regional and international developments and the importance of achieving security and stability in the region with the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
