RIYADH: The world needs to stand united in sending a strong message of hope to its people during this extraordinary year, says Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented shock for the world, he said during his G20 Riyadh Summit opening remarks, which he delivered virtually yesterday.
“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.
“Our peoples and economies are still suffering from this shock. However, we will do our best to overcome this crisis through international co-operation.”
He emphasised the need for co-operation 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 towards the development of Covid-19 vaccines, treatments and tests, “we must work to create affordable and equitable access to these tools for all.”
Saudi Arabia is the first Arab nation to host a G20 summit.