G-7 summit to be held via video conference

Decision necessitated after countries sealed borders and banned global travel

Washington, March 20: US President Donald Trump has scrapped this year’s in-person G-7 summit set to be held in the US in June due to the coronavirus crisis and will instead hold the high-profile event through video-conference, the White House has said.

The decision comes as countries around the world seal their borders and ban travel to stop the fast-spreading Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed over 9,000 lives so far. The G-7 summit is the latest high-profile event to be cancelled as anxiety over coronavirus puts an end to political gatherings, sports events and musical festivals around the world.

In view of the ongoing coronavirus crisis that has gripped the entire world in an unprecedented way, the G-7 summit scheduled to be held at Camp David from June 10-12 has been cancelled so that leaders of these countries can devote their time and energy in addressing the public health challenge, the White House said on Thursday. “In order for each country to focus all of its resources on responding to the health and economic challenges of Covid-19 and at President Trump’s direction, National Economic Council director and US Sherpa for the 2020 G-7 Larry Kudlow has informed his Sherpa colleagues that the G-7 Leaders’ Summit the US was set to host in June at Camp David will now be done by video-teleconference,” White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said.

“The White House also informed the other G-7 members that in order to continue close coordination, the President will convene the leaders’ via video teleconference in April and May just as he did this week,” Deere said.

Early this week, Trump had a video-conference call with G-7 leaders, whose members are the US, Canada, France, Germany,

Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

In a joint statement, after the video-conference, leaders of G-7 acknowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic was a human tragedy and a global health crisis, which also posed major risks for the world economy. “We are committed to doing whatever is necessary to ensure a strong global response through closer cooperation and enhanced coordination of our efforts. While current challenges may require national emergency measures, we remain committed to the stability of the global economy,” they said.

The leaders expressed their conviction that the current challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic needed a strongly coordinated international approach based on science and evidence, consistent with democratic values, and utilising the strengths of private enterprise. The G-7 leaders said they were committed to marshalling the full power of their governments to coordinate public health measures to protect people.