Saudi Arabia, which is presiding over the G20 countries this year, yesterday said that the upcoming November gathering of world leaders would be held virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The kingdom had originally planned to host world leaders for the G20 summit in its capital Riyadh before the pandemic, offering Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman the chance to share handshakes and wide smiles with the likes of US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Instead, the planned virtual meetup announced yesterday 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 Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi stained the crown prince’s reputation.
Photo: AFP / SAUDI ROYAL PALACE / BANDAR AL-JALOUD
The prince has insisted he had nothing to do with the operation carried out by Saudi Arabian agents inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, despite US senators and intelligence officials saying he bore responsibility for the slaying.
The virtual summit Nov. 21 and 22 would be chaired by King Salman, Saudi Arabia said.
The meeting would focus on 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 Arabian statement said.
The statement added that G20 countries, which represent the world’s biggest and most powerful economies, have contributed more than 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.”
However, G20 nations have been criticized for not taking cohesive action against the virus and its economic impact. The US, China and Russia have opted out of a collaborative effort to develop and distribute a vaccine.
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 healthcare systems.
However, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for outright debt relief for poorer nations from the world’s richest countries.
The leaders of the G20 last met virtually in March in a session hosted by King Salman. The virtual video call was unusual at the time, as governments around the world were beginning to stress the importance of social distancing to curb the virus’ spread amid closures, curfews and lockdowns globally.
Rights groups and others had called for world leaders to boycott the summit in Saudi Arabia due to Khashoggi’s killing, the kingdom’s human rights record and its continued detention of activists.
It was unclear whether leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or German Chancellor Angela Merkel would have attended an in-person summit, but there were others, such as Putin, who said they were ready to take part.
UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Agnes Callamard, who investigated Khashoggi’s killing, said earlier this month that another country should volunteer to host the G20 leaders summit if it was going to be held in-person.
Failing that, it should be made conditional that Saudi Arabia releases imprisoned women’s rights defenders, human rights activists, journalists and others, Callamard said.
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