Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international arenas. Al-Bilad newspaper said in its editorial that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has spared no effort to combat the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Kingdom's efforts are not limited to the local level, but also include regional and global levels. The Kingdom's historic initiative, following the emergence of the pandemic, was the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to hold an Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit, which resulted in injecting over USD 5 trillion into the global economy, as part of targeted fiscal policy, economic measures, and guarantee schemes to counteract the social, economic and financial impacts of the pandemic. After that, Saudi Arabia pledged USD 500 million to support global efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the daily said. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued to provide generous support to different countries in order to confront the pandemic. Saudi Arabia stated that it will support African countries with investments and loans worth some USD 1 billion this year to help their economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also continues to provide and send medical aid and supplies to many countries to support international efforts to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the same context, Al-Yaum newspaper reported in its editorial that the government of Saudi Arabia's procedures, measures and initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic represent the Kingdom's continuous efforts that aim to stabilize the world. In this regard, the newspaper pointed to the generous donation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the 14th Islamic Summit and the Host Country of OIC, of SAR20 million in coordination with King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to support the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) initiative to provide COVID-19 vaccines for health workers and the elderly in the less developed countries of OIC member states, which are 22 countries including Palestine. The newspaper added that this initiative is part of continuous efforts that the Saudi government exerts to enhance Islamic solidarity, support causes of the Islamic world and develop the Islamic joint action in all fields. In another context, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported in its editorial that the Kingdom's Vision 2030, about five years ago, promised to change the features of the Saudi economy and support it with sustainable sectors that can not be affected by global crises. Additionally, the Kingdom's Vision has worked on creating an economy that does not depend on the oil sector. In this regard, the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) announced that foreign investments in new entities soared 108% to reach 1,054 entities during the first half of 2021, compared to 509 in the same half of 2020. The leap in investment licenses affirm many things, including the complete success of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030 and the great confidence that the local and foreign investors have in the Saudi economy, and their desire to seize the opportunities in many fields, such as industry, technology and retail, as well as entertainment and tourism, the newspaper said.
