<Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf clarified that the current oil situation has no direct impact on the next fiscal year's budget. He said in response to a question to «Okaz» about whether the relative decline in oil prices will have a direct impact on the Kingdom's next budget and the spending policy on vital projects adopted by the state. He explained: The oil situation in the world affects in one way or another the revenues of countries as well as the debts usually, but the Kingdom has always been very careful to build its budgets on estimates that take into account all possibilities, so the impact, although natural, but we in the Kingdom are always cautious of all possibilities and expectations.

Asked by Okaz whether the G20 summit proposed any incentives to ensure the stability of oil markets, he said: The summit did not address this issue directly. But there were questions and analyzes on how to face any changes in the oil markets. He added that the Kingdom's policy is well known in this regard, as it believes that the commodity is subject to market conditions of supply and demand, as the market determines these matters. On the other hand, Al-Assaf answered another question about the energy rationalization program and the possibilities of reconsidering the subsidy policies for some goods and services: «The Kingdom has a strong energy rationalization program, and he believes that there are goods and services that may continue to be subsidized, and others that may not be beneficial. However, he added that extreme caution is needed in this regard.