The G20 summit in the Turkish city Antalya got underway yesterday and combatting terrorism was at the top of the agenda due to the recent attacks targeting Paris which left at least 129 people dead. Participating leaders stopped to observe a minute’s silence to mourn the victims of the attack. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the beginning of the sessions “I invite you all to a minute of silence in memory of those who were killed in the terrorist attacks, especially in Ankara and Paris”.

While the sessions continued, bilateral meetings were held on the sidelines. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz met the American President Barack Obama yesterday and the two sides reviewed bilateral relations, the development of the conditions in the Middle East and the world, aspects of cooperation between the two countries in addition to a number of topics on the summit agenda. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also met the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the summit yesterday and bilateral relations, the development of the conditions in the Middle East and the world, aspects of cooperation between the two countries and a number of other topics on the summit agenda were discussed at the meeting. King Salman bin Abdulaziz met the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu yesterday as well and the two sides reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz reiterated the condolences of the Kingdom, government and people to the French government, people and families of the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, stressing that Saudi Arabia stands with France and the international efforts to fight and resist terrorism.

In the meantime, the draft final statement of the two-day summit revealed that the participants attach great importance to the issue of combatting terrorism. According to the draft final statement, the G20 countries confirmed their intention to take a series of measures against the growing proliferation of foreign terrorists. The heads of states and government emphasised that they will “work together to strengthen international aviation security”.