Riyadh: Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held a bilateral meeting in Riyadh with U.S. Secretary of the Interior and National Energy Dominance Council Chairman Doug Burgum. The discussions explored opportunities for enhancing strategic partnerships between Saudi Arabia and the United States in the mining and minerals sector.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the meeting reviewed frameworks for joint action to activate the memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the U.S. Department of Energy, signed in May on the sidelines of the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh.

Discussions addressed ways to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals and rare-earth elements, underscoring the need to advance global collaboration to secure sustainable mineral supply chains and support global energy transition.

The meeting also highlighted the Future Minerals Forum that Saudi Arabia hosts annually as a global platform for developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing the mining and minerals sector and promoting its sustainability. The forum brings together policymakers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), leading investors, mining technology companies, and research institutions. Riyadh will host the fifth annual forum January 13 to 15, 2026.