LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s decision to cease contracting with companies and commercial institutions with regional headquarters not located in the Kingdom as of 2024 will apply only to contracts offered by the government, the finance minister told Reuters on Monday. “If a company refused to move their headquarters to Saudi Arabia it is absolutely their right and they will continue to have the freedom to work with the private sector in Saudi Arabia, but as long as it is related to the government contracts, they will have to have their regional headquarters here,” Mohammed al-Jadaan said by telephone. He added that the decision aims to expand the slim share of regional headquarters in the region’s largest economy and help the government’s push to create jobs for young Saudis and attract foreign investment to diversify its oil-dependent economy. (Reporting by Marwa Rashad; additional reporting by Nayera Abdullan in Cairo; Editing by Dan Grebler)