OSAKA, Japan, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The 14th Group of 20 (G20) summit kicked off here on Friday, with issues pertaining to the global economy, multilateral trade and development taking the center stage.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed the leaders of the G20 economies and other participants prior to the start of the summit.

Established in 1999, the G20 is a central forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues. It comprises 19 countries plus the European Union (EU).

The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Britain and the United States.