News - Middle East:  Saudi Arabia hosts the G20 summit Saturday in a first for an Arab nation, with the downsized virtual forum dominated by efforts to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic and a crippling economic crisis. 

“This has been an extraordinary year,”  Saudi Arabia’s King Salman said. “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. 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 said.

President Vladimir Putin in his remarks said Russia is "naturally ready to provide vaccines" developed by its scientists. "The scale of the pandemic obliges us to use all the available resources and scientific information. Our common goal is to form a portfolio of vaccines and secure safety for the global population," Putin said during the virtual summit.

Source: Agencies