G20 leaders are likely to hold a videoconference on Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual summit comes a few days after Saudi Arabia, the current president of the forum for the governments of 19 countries and the European Union (EU), declared that it would convene a virtual summit on the extraordinary threat posed by the virus that has killed thousands across the world.
Global cooperation
The videoconference was also discussed at a telephone conversation between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday. “Exchanged views on the forthcoming G20 summit. Global challenges require global cooperation,” Mr. Jaishankar said after the conversation.
Wednesday’s meeting will be the second after the leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) met through the video link at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 15.
This meeting led to the formation of the SAARC Emergency Fund for COVID-19. The G20 videoconference is also expected to yield more international cooperation to stamp out the virus.
The videoconference acquires special significance as it comes a day after India imposed a nationwide lockdown to fight the pandemic.
