The G20 will meet for the second time by videoconference. – GARY RAMAGE / AFP
To strengthen measures against the coronavirus pandemic, G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will hold a second video conference on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said.
who holds the rotating presidency of
G20.
At a virtual summit last Thursday, the twenty economic powers pledged to join forces in the fight against the Covid-19, by injecting 5,000 billion dollars into the world economy. An announcement that occurs while
forecasts point to an upcoming recession.
Lack of responsiveness in sight
Saudi Arabia said the new meeting would serve to “advance the coordinated global response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its human and economic consequences”. US President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and French Head of State Emmanuel Macron participated
at the summit on Thursday which was held against a backdrop of criticism of the G20. The group was criticized for its lack of responsiveness to the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 37,500 people worldwide and forced some two out of five humans to be confined.
In an interview on Monday, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin “agreed to work closely during the G20” in the fight against coronavirus and to stem the economic crisis related to containment measures, the closure of borders and social distancing, according to press releases from the White House and the Kremlin published separately.
A “moratorium” on economic sanctions
According to a Chinese source, of the 5,000 billion dollars, China, from which the epidemic started, has alone “communicated” the figure of 344 billion, mainly in tax measures. For his part, President Putin proposed Thursday a “moratorium” on economic sanctions on several countries including his because of the economic crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus.
The Russian economy has been severely affected by the global crisis caused by the pandemic, in particular due to the fall in the price of oil and, in turn, that of the ruble. Russia has already been experiencing economic difficulties since 2014, due to international sanctions imposed on it in connection with the conflict in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.
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