G20 Leaders' Summit kicks off in Rome

By Baris Seckin and Zafer Fatih Beyaz

ROME (AA) - The G20 Leaders' Summit, which brings together the leaders of the world's 20 leading economies and representatives of international organizations, kicked off in the Italian capital on Saturday.

The summit, organized by the G20 term president Italy at the La Nuvola Convention Center in the capital Rome, was launched by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Draghi welcomed his guests, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while the leaders also took a family photo.

Erdogan had brief chats with some of the participating leaders during the photo ceremony, including US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johson, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonia Guarres.

The summit is held in-person for the first time since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The leaders will come together at the Global Economy and Global Health session on the first day of the summit.

Extensive security measures were taken, with around 5,300 security personnel on duty in Rome. A significant part of the EUR area, where the summit is being held, was closed to civilian traffic.

The group of 20 largest and most advanced economies is holding the summit on Oct. 30-31 to address the coronavirus pandemic, foster a robust economic recovery, and boost global cooperation on climate action.

Meetings are also expected to discuss migrant crises and other geopolitical issues.

Along with the G20 member countries -- Turkey, the US, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, Russia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the EU states -- Italy, as the G20 term chair, has also invited representatives of Azerbaijan, Congo, Rwanda, the Philippines, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Singapore.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev and Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara