Thousands protest G20 policies as world leaders meet

By Muhammed Emin Canik

BUENOS AIRES (AA) – Thousands of people demonstrated in Argentina’s capital as world leaders met for the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Demonstrators gathered near the National Congress building in Buenos Aires and protested against the G20's failure to address a broad range of issues, from climate change to poverty.

They also protested against the amount spent on the summit at a time when Argentina is in an economic crisis and against President Mauricio Macri’s policies to combat inflation.

A total of 19 world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are attending the gathering along with EU representatives.

Around 15,000 people are also expected to attend the event, which is being followed by at least 3,000 journalists.

A joint declaration is expected to be published at the end of the summit on Saturday.

The next G20 summit will be held in Osaka, Japan.

The Group of 20 is an international forum that brings together the world’s 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.