His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, announced yesterday the participation of the United Arab Emirates in the extraordinary summit of the Group of 20 (G20), chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in a spirit of solidarity and solidarity Global.

His Highness wrote in a tweet through his official account on Twitter: “In the spirit of global solidarity and solidarity, the UAE participates in the extraordinary G20 summit, chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques ... We face an unprecedented common challenge in light of the spread of the emerging Corona virus.”

His Highness added: "The people of the world are looking forward to this summit to come up with positions and decisions that enhance the collective confrontation of this danger."

The work of the G20 virtual summit started with an opening speech delivered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

In his speech yesterday, King Salman stressed that "the (Corona) pandemic requires everyone to take firm measures at various levels," adding that this epidemic has caused suffering to many citizens of the world.

He also stressed that the humanitarian crisis due to Corona requires a global response, calling for solidarity between countries.

To that, he said, "The world is counting on the G20 countries joining forces to confront (Corona)."

He added, "A unified response must be coordinated for the G20 countries in facing this pandemic," stressing that the G20 has a pivotal role in addressing the effects of "Corona".

He renewed the Kingdom's support to the World Health Organization fully in the face of the emerging virus.

He added, "It is our responsibility to strengthen cooperation to search for a vaccine for the Corona virus," and called for "strengthening the global readiness to confront infectious diseases in the future."

King Salman stressed the need to restore the natural flow of goods and services as quickly as possible.

"The G20 should send a signal to restore confidence in the global economy," he said.

He also stressed that the Group of 20 is able, jointly, to overcome the crisis of "Corona".

Saudi television mentioned that this extraordinary summit, which was held remotely (via video), brought together leaders of 20 countries, other countries and several organizations, particularly the World Health Organization, to talk about what can be done to confront the global crisis of "Corona".

The summit will discuss ways to move forward in coordinating global efforts to combat the Corona pandemic and reduce its humanitarian and economic impact.

King Salman had stressed, on the evening of yesterday, that the world was living in a critical time in its response to the Corona pandemic, which affects people, health systems and the global economy.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his hope that the meeting will come out with initiatives that fulfill the hopes of the peoples of the world, enhance the role of the governments of member states, and unite their efforts to confront the epidemic.

US President Donald Trump and Russian Vladimir Putin participated in the virtual summit.

The leaders of the Group of Twenty major economies spoke through a closed television network about the ways to combat the Corona virus and its economic consequences, with the number of people infected with it worldwide reaching 471,000 infected and the number of deaths resulting from it to 21,000.

The talks focused on how to protect the world's most important economies from the consequences of measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus, while the specter of an economic recession looming on the horizon.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebrysos delivered a speech to the leaders requesting increased funding and support for the production of personal protective equipment for medical personnel.

The summit was preceded by a virtual meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bankers, where they agreed to develop a "plan of action" to deal with the outbreak of the virus that the International Monetary Fund expects to result in a global recession.

Members of the Group of Twenty participated the leaders of the invited countries, which includes Spain, Jordan, Singapore, and the Federal Republic of Switzerland. International organizations also included the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Financial Stability Council, the International Labor Organization, and the Economic Cooperation Organization Development, and the World Trade Organization.

In addition, regional organizations represented the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in its capacity as President of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Republic of South Africa as President of the African Union, the United Arab Emirates as President of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, and the Republic of Rwanda in its capacity as President of the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

- The summit will discuss ways to coordinate global efforts to combat Corona and reduce its humanitarian and economic impact.