Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation on 17.03 with the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman. The two leaders discussed the global situation regarding the COVID – 19 pandemic.

Prime Minister emphasised the need for coordinated efforts to adequately address this global challenge, which has impacted not only the health and well-being of several hundred thousand people but also threatens to adversely affect the economy in many parts of the world.

In this context, the Prime Minister mentioned India’s recent initiative to organise a video conference among SAARC countries.

The two leaders agreed that a similar exercise at the level of G20 leaders, under the aegis of Saudi Arabia as the Chair of G20, would be useful at a global scale, both for discussing specific measures to address the challenges posed by the global outbreak of COVID-19 and also to instil confidence in the global populace.

The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince decided that their officials would remain in close contact in this regard.