JEDDAH: The Saudi economy can withstand the coronavirus crisis despite the need to cut spending, Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said on Saturday. 

“The Saudi economy is able to absorb the decline in revenues and to deal with the budget deficit,” he said, adding that the government “firmly addressed this crisis with all determination, while prioritizing the safety and health of its citizens and residents.”

Al-Jadaan said the government “also worked hard to provide people with their basic needs, secure the necessary resources for health care systems, financially and economically support those most affected by the pandemic, and re-prioritize spending under the current circumstances.”

He thanked the Saudi leadership for “its unlimited support, and for the urgent decisions taken by the government to deal with the coronavirus crisis, including the initiatives it had launched to protect the Kingdom’s economy and support the private sector, its enterprises, low-income individuals and investors.”

The Kingdom “also showed a great sense of responsibility and commitment by holding the extraordinary G20 Summit in the framework of its presidency of the group, and recommending an injection of $7 trillion into the global economy as part of the financial policies, economic measures and security schemes aimed at facing the social, economic and financial repercussions of the pandemic,” he said.

“Saudi Arabia called for the bridging of the funding gap, estimated at $8 billion, to discover and develop new diagnostic tools, treatments and vaccines, while also providing $500 million of the required amount.”

Al-Jadaan congratulated the Saudi leadership on the occasion of Eid, and asked God to bless the Kingdom, protect it from the pandemic, and maintain its security and stability.