During its Group of Twenty presidency next year, Italy will continue to promote health as "a global public good" and will focus its efforts on inclusive and sustainable" economic recovery, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday.
In his address to an emergency G20 video summit convened by the Saudi Arabian presidency, Di Maio also underlined the crucial role of the G20 in tackling the current challenges facing the planet, according to a foreign ministry statement.
The summit provided an opportunity to coordinate efforts to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on border management and the repatriation of citizens stranded abroad, said the statement.
The foreign ministry and its diplomatic-consular network has organised the repatriation of over 110,000 citizens since the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier this year, Di Maio noted. He thanked other G20 nations for their help in these operations and urged more international cooperation to boost global economic recovery.
Di Maio also stressed the importance of ensuring transparency, dialogue and the exchange of information based on up-to-date epidemiological data to manage borders effectively, according to the statement.
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