Saudi Arabia’s King Salman urges G20 cooperation on COVID-19 crisis, sustainability

The coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented shock for the world in an extraordinary year, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz said during his G20 Riyadh Summit opening remarks, which he delivered virtually on Saturday evening.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented shock that affected the entire world within a short period of time, causing global economic and social losses,” King Salman said, adding, “Our peoples and economies are still suffering from this shock. However, we will do our best to overcome this crisis through international cooperation.”

He emphasized the need for cooperation and to “give a strong message of hope and reassurance to our people through adopting policies to mitigate this crisis.”

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also said that despite the world being optimistic about the progress made toward the development of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests, “we must work to create affordable and equitable access to these tools for all.”

To mitigate challenges brought on by the pandemic, G20 countries have provided emergency support to developing countries, including the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative for low-income countries, the King added.