Al-Marsad Newspaper: Dr. Abdulaziz bin Saqr, President of the Gulf Research Center, commented on the statements of the Minister of Finance, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, regarding the Kingdom’s change in the way it provides aid to its allies, and that the assistance it will provide to other countries will be conditional on reforms, and he urged the countries of the region to carry out reforms.
Dr. Abdulaziz bin Saqr said, during an interview with the “Saudi Arabia” channel, “I believe that the Kingdom adopts this clear policy, and wants it to send a message to everyone.”
He continued, “The Kingdom provided, between 2007 and 2017, more than $35 billion in aid, and this is a very large amount.”
And he added, “The Kingdom helped many countries with deposits to support its central banks, and among these countries” Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Morocco, and recently Turkey “and Saudi Arabia did not delay in supporting these countries and helping them to overcome their crises.”
He added, “Now the kingdom says you need economic assistance, so the situation of this country is looked at. Have you carried out the required internal economic reforms that encourage foreign investment and address your existing problems, or not?”
And he continued, saying, “If I want to encourage Saudi companies or enter through the Public Investment Fund, I need to preserve my rights to invest in the right sectors.”
He pointed out that you must have laws that allow this type of investment, and that allow money to be brought in and taken out. This is a very important issue, but it should be as before: “Give me and I will do as I want.” In my opinion, this is over.