Saturday, November 15, 2008
In the morning, a meeting of the G20 plenary session was held with the participation of 20 national and regional leaders, including those of advanced and emerging nations, and others. The session ended with the adoption of a declaration which states, among other points, the leaders' determination to enhance their cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world's financial systems.
Afterwards, the working lunch on financial markets and the world economy was held, with its focus being the theme of free trade and investment. Leaders of many nations expressed their determination to reject protectionism and to strive to reach agreement this year on modalities that leads to a successful conclusion to the WTO's Doha Development Agenda, against the backdrop of the current world economic situation. To this end, they stressed the extreme importance of urging Trade Ministers to accelerate negotiations.
After the Summit, Prime Minister Aso held a press conference, in which he said, "We must take concrete actions based on the outcome of this Summit. I intend to continue to demonstrate leadership for the realization of an international economic system that responds to the new world economy and financial markets."
Having completed the entire itinerary, Prime Minister left Washington, DC, for Japan on the government airplane.