DUBAI: Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan on Saturday said the Group of 20 advanced economies will consider extending a debt suspension initiative beyond this year.

Jadaan told a news conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh that, as of July 18, 42 countries had applied for the initiative.

The G20 is “on the way to agreeing” to extend debt relief for the world’s poorest countries in view of the economic fallout from coronavirus, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Saturday.

“I believe that we’re on the way to securing a deal on this fundamental issue,” Le Maire told an online meeting of the Group of 20 richest countries currently presided over by Saudi Arabia.

France is in favour of extending the existing debt moratorium for the world’s poorest countries, as called for by a number of NGOs who fear the current pandemic is exacerbating poverty and inequality across the globe. The Group of 20 governments agreed in April to a one-year debt standstill that the International Monetary Fund and World Bank had pushed for to help the 76 most vulnerable economies and called on private creditors to join in.

Le Maire said the G20 discussions, held virtually as a result of lockdown restrictions, had also been “productive” on the topic of taxation, an area “where we’re continuing to battle with our European partners.”

In all, the G20 finance ministers had “made progress” during the meeting, the French minister said.

With regard to these two issues in particular, namely the debt moratorium and taxation, “we have to make a decision as quickly as possible,” Le Maire said.

With regard to the taxation of digital giants such as Google and Apple, agreement was needed “by the end of the year” under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the minister continued.

“The crisis has shown that these digital giants are the great beneficiaries of the crisis. They have to pay their fair share of taxes,” he said.—Agencies