RIYADH — Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan said that economic activities in the Kingdom have returned to its strong position in the third and fourth quarters of 2020. Addressing the Saudi Budget 2021 Forum here on Wednesday, the minister stressed that the expenditures were reoriented in order to focus on the priority of preserving health of citizens and expatriates. He also noted that Saudi Arabia, in the meantime, supported the private sector to preserve jobs of Saudis. "The decision to safeguard the jobs of citizens in the private sector was taken within 48 hours," he added. Referring to the initiatives taken to secure the supply chains during the pandemic crisis, Minister of Commerce Majed Al-Qasabi told the session that the Kingdom has been able to ensure the flow of goods, services, medicines and shipping lanes during the coronavirus crisis. "The Vision 2030 has enabled the Kingdom to be prepared fully to face the pandemic. We had monitored 218 basic commodities, by putting them under surveillance and worked to ensure their flow as well as to control their prices," he said. Al-Qasabi also drew attention to the sense of responsibility demonstrated by everyone from citizens to the private sector and companies during the crisis, saying that everyone raised to the slogan "We are all responsible." "Traders kept pace with the shift in the commercial pattern by turning their services into e-commerce, in addition to forging partnership with government agencies to ensure the provision of goods," he added. On his part, Minister of Transport Nasser Al-Jasser said that the Kingdom's ports witnessed an increase in the number of import and export containers by five percent, despite the decline in global trade by about 15 percent caused by the unprecedented circumstances following the outbreak of the pandemic.
