Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz will chair an extraordinary virtual meeting of the leaders from the Group of 20 major economies on March 26 to advance a coordinated international response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
On March 18, Saudi Arabia announced that it will convene a virtual extraordinary summit to bring together the leaders from the G20 to develop an action plan in response to the coronavirus and to closely monitor the epidemic’s impact on markets and economic conditions.
“In light of its presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) this year, the Kingdom is making continuous contacts with the countries of the group to hold an exceptional summit – virtual – next week with the aim of exploring ways to join efforts to counter the spread of the corona epidemic,” a statement from the Kingdom read.
On Monday, France and China agreed on the need for emergency talks by leaders of the G20 major economies on coordinating an international response to the coronavirus crisis.
Read more:
Saudi Crown Prince: G20 states will work to reduce coronavirus’ economic impact
GCC finance ministers discuss coronavirus countermeasures in virtual meeting
In a related development, the Kingdom reported on Tuesday its first death due to the coronavirus outbreak after a patient died on Monday, the health ministry announced during a press conference, adding that the total number of infections in the Kingdom reached 767 cases so far.
Last Friday, the Kingdom announced measures exceeding 120 billion riyals ($31.93 billion) to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy, state TV said.
The package includes 50 billion riyals to support banks, financial institutions and small and medium enterprises, it said, citing Finance Minister Muhammad al-Jadaan.
On March 19, King Salman said in a televised address that the government is taking all required measures to combat the coronavirus and working to ensure that each resident and citizen is provided with medicine, food and living necessities during this crisis.
Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.
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