Bilateral relations

Country explorer

Twenty-two relationships in seven regions. Each profile gives the formal framework, verified economic figures where they exist, and the minister’s documented engagements — with sources.

An official meeting is not evidence of a personal relationship. These profiles describe relations between states and the minister’s documented part in them.

New Delhi. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The photograph’s official identifier corresponds to 20 September 2021; the accompanying release could not be retrieved.

QatarAlUla Declaration, 2021

Historical relationship: Neighbouring GCC states. On 5 June 2017 Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut relations with Qatar and closed land, sea and air access.
Framework: The AlUla Declaration of the 41st GCC summit, 5 January 2021, restored relations.
Recent developments: After the Israeli strike on Doha of 9 September 2025, the Kingdom took part in the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha on 14–15 September.
The minister: Announced the end of the boycott at AlUla (5 January 2021); took part in the Doha preparatory ministerial meeting (14 September 2025); received Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Riyadh (19 August 2026).
Sources: Asharq Al-Awsat · UN (Doha communiqué) · SPA via GlobalSecurity

United Arab EmiratesGCC partners; divergence since 2025

Historical relationship: Fellow founding members of the GCC (1981) and coalition partners in Yemen from 2015.
Recent developments: Reporting and analysis from December 2025 document a divergence over southern Yemen, where the UAE announced its withdrawal after a Saudi strike at Mukalla on 30 December 2025; over Sudan; and over oil, after the UAE left OPEC and OPEC+ with effect from 1 May 2026.
The minister: No personal role in these developments is documented in the sources reviewed. Saudi Arabia and the UAE continued to sit together in the US-convened Quad on Sudan in 2025.
Sources: CNN · AGSI · NPR · US State Department (Quad)

IranRelations restored, 2023

Historical relationship: Relations were cut on 3 January 2016 after attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, and restored under the Beijing agreement of 10 March 2023.
Recent developments: After Iranian strikes on the Kingdom in March 2026 during the regional war, Saudi Arabia expelled Iran’s military attaché and four embassy staff but kept relations.
The minister: Met Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing (6 April 2023), Cape Town (2 June 2023) and Tehran (17 June 2023) and hosted him in Riyadh (17–18 August 2023); met Abbas Araghchi in New York (22 September 2024) and received him in Riyadh (9 October 2024); spoke with him by telephone on 6 September 2026.
More: Regional file: Iran
Sources: SCIO · Arab News · SPA · SPA via GlobalSecurity

TürkiyeCoordination Council, 2016

Framework: The Saudi–Turkish Coordination Council was established during King Salman’s visit to Türkiye in April 2016, according to the Turkish foreign ministry.
The minister: Co-chaired the council’s second session with Hakan Fidan in Riyadh on 18 May 2025, where 21 cooperation initiatives were agreed, and its third session in Ankara on 6 May 2026, where a visa exemption for diplomatic passports was signed; attended the first meeting of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement committee in Istanbul on 31 August 2026.
Sources: Turkish MFA · Türkiye Today · Saudi Gazette · Anadolu

EgyptSupreme Coordination Council, 2024

Framework: The Saudi–Egyptian Supreme Coordination Council, chaired by President Sisi and the Crown Prince, was formed during the Crown Prince’s visit to Cairo on 15–16 October 2024.
The minister: Received by President Sisi in Cairo on 5 January 2026 for talks on Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and Gaza; attended the fourth meeting of the Egypt–Saudi–Pakistan–Türkiye “Quadrilateral Group” in Cairo on 21 June 2026.
Sources: Asharq Al-Awsat · Egypt SIS · SPA

IraqCoordination Council, 2017

Historical relationship: Relations were severed after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait; the Saudi embassy in Baghdad reopened in 2015.
Framework: The Saudi–Iraqi Coordination Council held its first meeting in Riyadh on 22 October 2017.
The minister: Visited Baghdad in February 2023 and, unannounced, in August 2024, meeting Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani; met Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Amman on 5 August 2026.
Sources: Al Arabiya · The National · Al-Monitor · Iraqi MFA

Syria & LebanonRe-engagement, 2023–2025

Syria: First Saudi official visit to Damascus since 2011 (18 April 2023); after the change of government, talks with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus (24 January 2025) and a visit with an economic delegation (31 May 2025).
Lebanon: First Saudi foreign-minister visit in about fifteen years, 23 January 2025, meeting President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and the prime minister-designate.
More: Syria file · Lebanon file
Sources: Al Jazeera · Anadolu · The National

JordanPartner in the Gaza committee

Context: Jordan’s foreign minister was a member of the Arab-Islamic ministerial committee on Gaza that Faisal bin Farhan chaired from November 2023.
The minister: Travelled to Amman for the committee’s meeting on 1 June 2025 and for a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem on 5 August 2026.
Sources: China MFA (committee members) · Middle East Monitor · Iraqi MFA

ChinaComprehensive Strategic Partnership, 2016

Historical relationship: Diplomatic relations were established on 21 July 1990.
Framework: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, joint communiqué of 20 January 2016; Saudi–Chinese summit and the first China–Arab and China–GCC summits in Riyadh, December 2022.
Economic ties: Bilateral trade of US$107.53 billion in 2024 (Chinese foreign ministry). China supplied 27.5 per cent of Saudi imports in 2025 (GASTAT, via Arab News).
The minister: Talks with Wang Yi in Wuxi (10 January 2022); meeting with Iran’s foreign minister in Beijing (6 April 2023); led the Arab-Islamic committee to Beijing (20 November 2023); official visit at Wang Yi’s invitation announced for 30 June–1 July 2026.
Sources: China MFA · China MFA (Wuxi) · Arab News · China MFA (2026)

IndiaStrategic Partnership Council, 2019

Historical relationship: Diplomatic relations since 1947, according to the Embassy of India in Riyadh.
Framework: Strategic Partnership Council agreement signed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Riyadh in October 2019.
Economic ties: Bilateral trade of US$41.88 billion in India’s financial year 2024–25 (Embassy of India).
The minister: Co-chairs, with S. Jaishankar, the Council’s ministerial committee on political, security, social and cultural cooperation: first meeting Riyadh, 10 September 2022; second New Delhi, 13 November 2024.
Sources: Embassy of India · PMIndia · ThePrint · SPA

Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar seated in conversation in an ornate room with Saudi and Indian desk flags — **With S. Jaishankar.** Seated talks; the date and venue are not recorded in the supplied file.

JapanSaudi-Japan Vision 2030; strategic dialogue

Framework: Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, launched in March 2017; a foreign ministerial strategic dialogue agreed by Prime Minister Kishida and the Crown Prince in July 2023.
The minister: Met Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in Tokyo and called on Prime Minister Kishida (19 July 2022); first strategic dialogue with Hayashi in Riyadh (7 September 2023); third, with Toshimitsu Motegi, in Riyadh (20 August 2026).
Sources: Japan MOFA (Vision 2030) · Japan MOFA (2022) · Arab News · Japan MOFA (2026)

Republic of KoreaStrategic partnership, 2023

Framework: A strategic partnership announced during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2023.
The minister: Official visit to Seoul on 20 July 2022: received by President Yoon; talks with Foreign Minister Park Jin and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo.
Sources: SPA · Saudi Gazette

PakistanStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement, 2025

Framework: The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, signed in Riyadh on 17 September 2025 by the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, provides that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” (joint statement).
The minister: Led a high-level delegation to Islamabad on 15–16 April 2024; attended the Quadrilateral Group meeting in Cairo (June 2026) and the trilateral committee in Istanbul (August 2026); spoke by telephone with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on 6 September 2026. No personal role in the 2025 agreement is documented.
Sources: Pakistan MOFA · Radio Pakistan · SPA via GlobalSecurity

United KingdomStrategic Partnership Council, 2018

Framework: The Saudi–UK Strategic Partnership Council was established during the Crown Prince’s visit to the UK in March 2018.
The minister: Led the Arab-Islamic committee’s meeting with Foreign Secretary David Cameron (22 November 2023); talks with David Lammy in London (14 August 2024); met Yvette Cooper and National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell in London (12 May 2026).
Sources: Al Arabiya (2018) · OIC · SPA · Saudi Gazette

FranceStrategic Partnership Council, 2024

Framework: The memorandum creating the Saudi–French Strategic Partnership Council was signed by Faisal bin Farhan and Jean-Noël Barrot on 3 December 2024, during President Macron’s state visit.
The minister: Co-chaired with France the UN conference on the two-state solution (July and September 2025); met Barrot during the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in France (26 March 2026) and in Paris during the Crown Prince’s state visit (25 August 2026).
Sources: SPA · UN News · French MFA · Asharq Al-Awsat

GermanyStrategic dialogue, 2026

Historical relationship: Faisal bin Farhan was born in Frankfurt and served as ambassador in Berlin in 2019.
Framework: A memorandum establishing a Saudi–German strategic dialogue at foreign-minister level, signed in Berlin with Johann Wadephul on 6 September 2026.
The minister: Ambassador to Germany (February–October 2019); met Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the Munich Security Conference (February 2023); signed the 2026 memorandum.
Sources: Arab News · Saudi Gazette

RussiaOPEC+ partners; centenary 2026

Historical relationship: The Soviet Union recognised the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd in 1926; ties were suspended in 1938 and restored in September 1990 (Saudipedia). 2026 marks the centenary.
Framework: Co-leadership of OPEC+ since the Declaration of Cooperation of December 2016.
The minister: Led the Arab-Islamic committee’s meeting with Sergey Lavrov in Moscow (21 November 2023); attended as host the US–Russia talks in Riyadh (18 February 2025); working visit to Moscow and talks with Lavrov (8 September 2026).
Sources: Saudipedia · Arab News (2023) · US Embassy Moscow · Russian MFA via GlobalSecurity

UkraineAid and mediation

The minister: Visited Kyiv on 26 February 2023, meeting President Zelenskyy and signing US$400 million in agreements ($300 million in oil products, $100 million humanitarian); attended, with the National Security Adviser, the US–Ukraine talks in Jeddah (11 March 2025).
Context: Saudi Arabia hosted a national security advisers’ meeting on Ukraine in Jeddah in August 2023, chaired by the National Security Adviser.
Sources: Al Arabiya · AGBI · US joint statement

Sources & Further ReadingBilateral Relations

Each country profile lists its own sources above. The research dossier behind this page, with confidence ratings, is summarised on About This Archive.
Photograph of 14 October 2023: US Department of State (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org