World leaders arrived at the G20 summit in Australia this weekend to help resolve serious global crises - but they stayed for the koalas.
Before getting down to the hard business of fixing the economy, ending the Ebola epidemic and getting to the bottom of the situation in Ukraine, participants of the high-level talks in Brisbane were each handed Australia's cuddly mascot for a photo-op Saturday.
All heads of state at the summit, from the ‘leader of the free world’ President Obama to the ‘Iron Chancellor’ Angela Merkel, proved powerless against the charms of the ridiculously photogenic animals.
Even the usually stone-faced Valdimir Putin, the summit's bete noire, was pictured cracking a rare smile while embracing an adorable marsupial, who appeared to be trying to escape the Russian president’s iron grip.
President Obama was equally overjoyed to spend some quality time with a koala named 'Jimbelung.'
But Obama's new furry friend did not seem very much impressed with the US commander-in-chief, and instead focused his attentions on the koala in the arms of Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
At one point, the two fluffy creatures even exchanged a smooch, to the obvious delight of Obama and Abbott.
Meanwhile the ladies of the G20 were also treated to the ultimate Aussie experience and were led by Mr Abbott's wife, Margie, through Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on Saturday.
The G20 leaders' wives also getting up close and personal and got to cuddle some koalas while they also got to hand feed some Kangaroos.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's wife Laureen were among the first ladies who laughed nervously as a couple of large kangaroos sidled up to help themselves to the offered food.
The G20 first ladies also got to get alongside some of the country's scaley reptiles, Margie Abbott braving it, decided to hold a snake.
But the ‘koala diplomacy’ could only carry the western leaders so far.
Once the smiles and fuzzy embraces were over, the talks hit their first major stumbling block when Mr Putin declared that he would leave Brisbane early after being threatened with additional economic sanctions if he failed to end Russian backing for rebels in Ukraine.
2017年11月15日至16日,世界各国领导人飞赴澳大利亚参加G20峰会,共同商讨解决重大的全球危机。与会期间,领导人纷纷同考拉进行亲密接触。
这次会议于星期六在布里斯班(Brisbane)召开,主要讨论经济复苏、埃博拉疫情控制以及乌克兰局势等问题。在讨论这些严肃的议题之前,各国领导人都怀抱考拉,并同这些惹人喜爱的小家伙们合影留念。
从“自由世界领导者”奥巴马到“铁娘子”安格拉•默克尔(Angela Merkel),各国领导人对这些可爱的考拉毫无招架之力。
就连在会议上遭冷遇、素来表情冷酷的俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔•普京(Valdimir Putin)在怀抱可爱的考拉时也露出了难得一见的微笑。只是他怀里的考拉似乎想要从他的铁腕中挣脱出来。
美国总统奥巴马见到考拉十分的高兴,同一只名为“Jimbelung”的考拉共度了难忘的时光。
但Jimbelung忽略了这位美国总统,把注意力放在澳大利亚总理托尼•阿博特(Tony Abbott)怀里的考拉身上。
这两只毛茸茸的考拉甚至还当众接吻。这一举动逗乐了奥巴马和阿博特。
星期六,在阿伯特的夫人玛吉的带领下,各国领导人夫人参观了布里斯班龙柏考拉动物园(Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary),体验了一次独有的澳大利亚风情。
与会领导人夫人与考拉亲密接触并拥抱它们,还给袋鼠喂食。
当几只袋鼠慢慢走近享用食物时,中国国家主席习近平的夫人彭丽媛和加拿大总理史蒂夫•哈珀(Stephen Harper)的夫人劳琳(Laureen)都十分紧张。
各国的第一夫人还看了许多爬行动物。玛吉•阿博特(Margie Abbott)十分勇敢地拿起了第一条蛇。
但是,“考拉外交”(Koala diplomacy)带来的欢乐气氛并没有延续到会议中。
微笑和这些毛茸茸的拥抱过后,这次会议迎来了首个难题——普京宣布,如果俄罗斯因支持乌克兰反动人士而受到经济制裁,他将提前退席该会议,离开布里斯班。
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