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在线翻译:
szdaily -> World -> 
Saudi Arabia: G20 gathering of world leaders to be virtual
    2020-09-29  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

SAUDI ARABIA, which is presiding over the Group of 20 countries this year, said yesterday that the upcoming November gathering of world leaders will be held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The kingdom had originally planned to host world leaders for the G20 summit in Riyadh before the pandemic, offering Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the chance to share handshakes and wide smiles with presidents and prime ministers.

Instead, the planned virtual meet-up strips the kingdom of the pomp that would have accompanied televised arrivals on Riyadh’s tarmac just two years after the killing and dismemberment of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi stained the crown prince’s reputation. Prince Mohammed has insisted he had nothing to do with the operation carried out by Saudi agents inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, despite U.S. senators and intelligence officials saying he bore responsibility for the slaying.

Saudi Arabia said the virtual summit Nov. 21-22 will be chaired by King Salman. The meeting will focus on “protecting lives and restoring growth by addressing vulnerabilities uncovered during the pandemic and by laying down the foundations for a better future,” a Saudi statement said.

The statement added that G20 countries, which represent the world’s biggest and most powerful economies, have contributed over US$21 billion to support the production of vaccines and access to therapeutics, as well as injected US$11 trillion “to safeguard the global economy.”

The G20 agreed this year to suspend the debt of developing countries and defer billions of dollars in payments as governments focus spending on emergency stimulus programs to protect vulnerable people and boost national health care systems. Pakistan’s prime minister, however, has called for outright debt relief for poorer nations from the world’s richest countries.(SD-Agencies)

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