Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek flew to Riyadh on Tuesday to attend a high-profile annual investor forum, which comes as conflict shakes the region.

Şimşek joined other global business, technology and financial leaders who have converged in the Saudi capital for the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit.

This year's three-day event is expected to draw more than 7,000 delegates including the chief executives of Citigroup and Goldman Sachs and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

The forum comes at a time when there are fears of widening conflict in the Middle East, as Israel presses with its relentless strikes on Gaza and Lebanon and carries out tit-for-tat strikes with Iran, which are sure to shape panel discussions and side meetings.

Şimşek’s itinerary will include meetings with Douglas Garven Alexander, the U.K.’s minister of state for trade policy and economic security, Piyush Goyal, India’s minister of commerce and industry, and Bahrain’s Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa, the Anadolu Agency (AA) reported, citing information from the Treasury and Finance Ministry.

Şimşek will also be a keynote speaker at the "Policymakers Board: Can Leaders Offer Optimism Instead of Caution?" panel, where he’ll share the stage with ministers from Saudi Arabia, India, and the U.K., as well as International Finance Corporation President Makhtar Diop.

The minister’s agenda in Riyadh also includes meetings with key global investors, reflecting Türkiye’s efforts to engage with international partners in strengthening economic ties and exploring new investment opportunities.

The Future Investment Initiative debuted in 2017 as a showcase for de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plans to steer the Saudi economy away from oil, with investments of hundreds of billions of dollars to develop new sectors and create more sustainable revenue streams.