JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will host the G-20 Summit in 2020, said an official statement issued on Saturday at the end of this year’s event in Hamburg, Germany.
“We thank Germany for hosting a successful Hamburg summit, and look forward to meeting again in Argentina in 2018, in Japan in 2019 and in Saudi Arabia in 2020,” AFP quoted the statement as saying.
Under the terms of the revolving presidency, G-20 hosts can set the summit agenda. Germany this year used the opportunity to focus on development partnerships with Africa.
The G-20 is a prestigious forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies, including China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UK, the US and the EU.
Among the first to congratulate Saudi Arabia was Germany’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Dieter W. Haller.
“This is a true reflection of the rising stature of Saudi Arabia on the world stage. I applaud the heads of state behind this significant decision,” he said. “As we’ve seen with the decisions reached at the Hamburg summit, Saudi Arabia is a very important element of global governance.”
The Kingdom is the only Arab country and member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the G-20, so “this is a great honor not just for Saudi Arabia but for the entire Arab world,” Haller added.
It is not just hosting the summit that is significant, but also the G-20 presidency, he said, adding: “It runs for a whole year and culminates in the final summit. Saudi Arabia will be in charge of setting the agenda and organizing the summit of this very important forum.”
Germany is always ready to share its experience in hosting such an event “with our Saudi friends,” Haller said. The Saudi delegation at the Hamburg summit was led by Ibrahim Al-Assaf, minister of state and Cabinet member.
At the summit, Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its stance against terrorism in all forms, saying it is a “crime that targeted the entire world” and poses “one of the most serious threats to world peace and security.”
The Kingdom added that there is a “need to combat and prevent all sources and means of funding terrorism.”
The Saudi delegation said terrorism does not differentiate between religions or ethnic groups, and the responsibility of combating it and extremism lies with the entire international community, as does the promotion of moderation, cooperation and coordination between countries.

— With input from AFP