BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 19, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is presently representing the interests of the twin island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, as the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) officially got underway earlier today, Thursday, April 19.
The meeting was declared open by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during an opening ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Charles, Prince of Wales, and other members of the royal family, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Right Honourable Theresa May, as well as the leaders from the 53 member states of the Commonwealth.
In opening the high-level meeting, Her Majesty said it remains a great honour and pleasure to serve as Head of the Commonwealth.
Her Majesty the Queen further stated, “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949.”
Among the issues being discussed during the executive sessions at the two-day summit are ocean conservation, cyber security, and trade between member countries. The executive sessions are being facilitated at Lancaster House.
Ahead of the opening of the 2018 meeting, the St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister held several private discussions with Commonwealth leaders, including with the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena.
Prime Minister Harris earlier stated that “the Federation’s participation in CHOGM 2018 reflects my government’s commitment to the Commonwealth and working within these multilateral frameworks to address global commons and in achieving our common goals of promoting prosperity, security and fairness for our people on a more sustainable basis.”
