MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2020) G20 trade and investment ministers pledged on Monday, in their joint statement, to continue effort toward facilitating flows of essential goods and services amid the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that the emergency response measures should not create any unnecessary trade barriers.
"We will continue monitoring and assessing the impact of the pandemic on trade. We call on the international organizations to provide an in-depth analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on world trade, investment and global value chains. We will continue working with them to establish coordinated approaches and collect and share good practices to facilitate flows of essential goods and services," the minsters said in their statement.
The G20 ministers also pledged to continue working together on a "free, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment" and open markets.
"We agree that emergency measures designed to tackle COVID-19, if deemed necessary, must be targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary, and that they do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains, and are consistent with WTO rules," the ministers went on to say.
The ministers expressed their profound sadness over the "devastating human tragedy."
