Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international arenas. Al-Riyadh newspaper reported in its editorial that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved the best performance among emerging markets, according to Bloomberg Economics' ranking of 75 economies, as this success comes while a renewed outbreak of the virus is underway, resulting in reimposing lockdowns in several countries. The newspaper added that Bloomberg Economics' ranking is based on several indicators, including the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic without causing serious damage to the economy or the standard of life of citizens and residents. The government of Saudi Arabia has paid most of its attention to these things since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It adopted rapid and balanced measures to curb the repercussions of the pandemic and mitigate its impacts on the society and economy. All these witnessed achievements in Saudi Arabia are nothing but natural outcomes of the Saudi Vision 2030. Moreover, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the latest interview, was asked about what comes after the Kingdom's 2030 vision, HRH Crown Prince replied that planning is ongoing and that the vision places us in a very advanced position in the world, but 2040 will be the stage of global competition, the paper concluded. Al-Bilad newspaper said in its editorial that the national economy achieved remarkable progress and was able to face challenges, especially the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the first quarter of 2021. Additionally, the budget witnessed a significant decline in the deficit that was fully financed through public debt as well as the increase in non-oil revenues. In this regard, the newspaper pointed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) statement issued at the conclusion of the staff mission for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2021 Article IV. The statement underscored the positive results of the Saudi economic reforms, projected continuation in the economic recovery, and expected decline in the unemployment rate and inflation. The statement also commented on the effective role of fiscal policies, and financial sector and employment initiatives launched by the government and the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) that helped cushion the impact of the pandemic on individuals and the private sector. The IMF concluding statement also commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's strong economic fundamentals supported by "Vision 2030", which enabled establishing robust governance and cooperation between ministries and entities. In a similar context, Al-Yaum newspaper reported in its editorial that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince launched the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's future development roadmap when he announced the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The newspaper pointed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's revenues in the first quarter of 2021, which stood at about SAR 205 billion. At the same time, oil revenues accounted for 57% of total revenues in the first quarter, while the non-oil revenues amounted to SAR 88 billion. The newspaper concluded that based on the Kingdom's Vision 2030, diversifying the national economy sources is one of the most important goals and despite the COVID-19 crisis that affected the economies of the whole world, the Kingdom's Vision 2030 continues to achieve its goals.
