Saudi King says G20 exceptional summit to unite coronavirus efforts

Saudi Arabia's King Salman said on Wednesday that as the world confronts the new coronavirus, the Group of 20 major economies will convene in an exceptional summit to come up with initiatives to unite the efforts to combat the pandemic.

"As the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges to healthcare systems and the global economy, we convene this extraordinary G20 summit to unite efforts towards a global response," the king said on Twitter.

The kingdom, which holds the G20 presidency this year, will host G20 leaders by video-conference on Thursday amid criticism that the group has been slow to respond to the global crisis.