DUBAI (Reuters) - Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Thursday that companies that pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh had apologized for missing the event.

“All the companies which did not come have been calling us during the past 48 hours, apologizing, expressing their regret, and promising to apply to open offices (in the country) during the coming weeks and restore relationships to their norms,” Al-Falih told state TV al-Ekhbariya.