Prime Minister Scott Morrison's trip to the Group of Seven (G7) summit in England has had a gloomy start with after his RAAF jet forced to divert to an air force base west of London due to heavy fog in Cornwall where the event is being held.
Key points:
- Scott Morrison's RAAF jet was forced to land at RAF Brize Norton
- Mr Morrison has announced Australia will donate 20 million COVID-19 vaccines to help fight the virus in developing countries
- He will meet with UK counterpart Boris Johnson in London after the summit, and is also expected to meet the Queen
The event is the first face-to-face G7 summit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and vaccine rollout across the globe is set to be at the top of the agenda, with Mr Morrison announcing Australia would pledge at least 20 million doses for developing countries.
Australia is not part of the G7 but is attending as a guest as part of the "G7 Plus", which also includes invitees South Africa, India and South Korea.
The PM's plane was due to land at Cornwall Airport in Newquay around 9:00am on Friday local time, but instead landed at RAF Brize Norton near Oxford, a nearly five-hour drive from the seaside town of Carbis Bay where the world leaders' summit is taking place.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Airbus A319 was also delayed and briefly circled Newquay airport before landing shortly after 11:30am local time, while other world leaders' flights managed to land without incident on Friday morning
US President Joe Biden had avoided the fog by flying into the UK on Wednesday evening and travelling to Cornwall to meet with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday morning.
Australia joins global push for vaccine rollout
After arriving in the UK, Mr Morrison announced that Australia will be committing at least 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to developing nations, echoing commitment pledges by G7 leaders to donate more than 1 billion doses combined.
On Thursday, Mr Biden announced that the US plans by to buy and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to nearly 100 countries, while Mr Johnson said Britain would be contributing more than 100 million surplus doses, beginning in the next few weeks.
The European Union and Japan have also made significant pledges.
Mr Morrison said Australia's commitment would be made up of locally made vaccines and ones already contracted, and including a mix of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
"Australia will be doing its part, as we already have been, committing some 20 million doses as part of that effort here at the G7 Plus in Cornwall," he said.
"That comes on top of our very recent commitment of US$100 million in support for the COVAX initiative, working together with the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshi Suga, and I commend him for his great leadership on that initiative.
"That of course comes in addition to the significant work we are already doing in our region, supporting our Pacific family, up in Timor Leste and throughout south-east Asia.
"These 20 million doses will go to support doses in our region, to ensure that we continue to exercise our responsibility as part of a broader global responsibility to combat this virus."
Mr Morrison is set to meet with leaders including Mr Biden on the sidelines of the three-day summit, before heading to London for talks with British Prime Minister Mr Johnson and other senior government ministers.
It is also expected Mr Morrison will visit the Queen at Windsor Castle early next week before flying to Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA2LTExL2ZvZy1kZWxheXMtc2NvdHQtbW9ycmlzb24tZzctYXVzdHJhbGlhLXBsZWRnZXMtMjBtLXZhY2NpbmVzLWRvc2UvMTAwMjEwMjkw0gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDIxMDI5MA?oc=5
2021-06-11 13:11:49Z
52781652595202
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Fog delays Scott Morrison's G7 visit as Australia pledges 20 million vaccines doses to global COVID fight - ABC News"
Post a Comment