G20 ministerial meeting discusses Middle East tensions, ocean waste

TOKYO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The Group of 20 (G20) Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth started on Saturday, during which ministers from G20 members discussed Middle East tensions and ways to reduce ocean waste among other topics.

The two-day meeting was held in the resort town of Karuizawa in central Japan after two tankers were attacked on Thursday near the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company.

"It is vital for the international community to respond collaboratively to such incidents from the perspective of ensuring global energy security," Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said during the meeting

"The G20 shared the view that it is important to work together for the stability of the energy market," Seko said in a press conference.

The energy and environment ministers also discussed efforts to reduce plastic waste in the ocean.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, about 300 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year, of which 8 million tons end up in the world's oceans.