Several top executives of major oil companies were removed from the program of an international energy conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following deadly attacks on the capital.
The chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron and BP were expected to attend the WPC Energy Congress, which began Sunday. However, their names were missing from the updated schedule released Monday.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the government remained committed to keeping visitors safe but acknowledged that security risks remained.
The attacks could also affect Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to reduce the country’s dependence on oil by attracting more foreign investment and tourists.
BP said it could not attend the conference in person because of travel disruptions. Shell declined to comment, while the other three companies had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
The conference is being held about 10 kilometers from Riyadh’s international airport, which has been attacked four times in the past week.
Saudi authorities said an attack on the airport Sunday killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others. A day earlier, a strike claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group killed 13 people and injured more than 300.
The latest attack was described as Saudi Arabia’s deadliest in more than a decade.
Video: Reuters
