King participates in virtual Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit on COVID-19 response held by Saudi Arabia

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday, with HRH Crown Prince Hussein, participated in the virtual Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit, held by Saudi Arabia and chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to advance a coordinated global response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its economic and healthcare implications.

Discussions at the summit covered ways of stepping up joint international efforts to confront COVID-19 and taking the necessary economic measures to protect the sectors affected by the epidemic, according to a Royal Court statement.

In opening remarks, King Salman of Saudi Arabia said: “We are holding this meeting to carry out our responsibilities as the leaders of the world’s largest economies in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires that we take firm measures on various fronts.”

“This human crisis requires a global response. The world is counting on us to come together and cooperate in order to face this challenge,” the Saudi monarch added.

King Salman noted that “it is our responsibility to extend a helping hand to developing countries and least developed countries to enable them to build their capacities and improve their infrastructures to overcome this crisis and its repercussions”.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh and Adviser to His Majesty for Policies and Media Kamal Al Nasser also attended the virtual summit on the Jordanian side, the statement said.

In a statement released by the G20 at the summit’s conclusion, the group said that it is “committed to do whatever it takes to overcome the pandemic, along with the World Health Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, the UN and other international organisations, working within their existing mandates to fight the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The G20 said that its members are “determined to spare no effort — both individually and collectively — to protect lives, safeguard people’s jobs and incomes, restore confidence, preserve financial stability, revive growth and recover stronger, minimise disruptions to trade and global supply chains, provide help to all countries in need of assistance and coordinate on public health and financial measures”.

Under measures to safeguard the global economy, the G20 said its members are “injecting over $5 trillion into the global economy as part of targetted fiscal policy, economic measures and guarantee schemes to counteract the social, economic and financial impacts of the pandemic”, according to the statement.

The G20, chaired this year by Saudi Arabia, also includes the following members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, the US and the EU.