Saudi king will not attend G20 summit, Germany says

Image of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 18 May 2017 [Bandar Algaloud /Anadolu Agency]

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz will not attend a 7-8 July summit of the Group of 20 leading global economies in Hamburg, Germany, a German government spokesman revealed today, providing no reason for the decision.

Steffen Seibert said the Saudi government had notified Berlin that the 81-year-old monarch would not participate in the annual meeting of G20 leaders

Read: As Mohammad Bin Salman moves closer to the Saudi throne, the region faces a bleak future

Mass demonstrations are being planned outside the event as activists “welcome” world leaders including US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Police said at least 10,000 demonstrators marched peacefully in Hamburg yesterday ahead of the summit.

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