PM Narendra Modi is attending the Commonwealth meet in London today. He was invited by Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 52 other heads of government will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting or CHOGM meeting in London today. The Commonwealth meet is being held at the Buckingham Palace and will be formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. This will be the first time in a decade that an Indian prime minister will be attending the event which is held every two years. India got a special invite wherein Prince Charles traveled to India and personally invited Prime Minister Modi for the event. The Queen too sent a personal note inviting the prime minister. India is going to invest over a billion pounds in the United Kingdom.
India and the UK signed multiple agreements and MoUs when Prime Minister Modi met his British counterpart Theresa May at her official residence 10 Downing Street yesterday. Both countries decided to deepen ties, especially in the areas of technology, trade and investment. Britain has laid out the red carpet for PM Modi, who has been given a limousine which will take him between various venues, while all other leaders will be going in a coach. This is just one of many things that UK has done to show the importance it gives to its relations with India. The two-day Commonwealth meet will be held in London and Windsor. While today's meetings in London will focus on the agenda of the summit, tomorrow will see all the heads of states, including PM Modi, head to Windsor for a retreat, where they will interact informally.
Here are the LIVE Updates of PM Modi's visit to the UK for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM):
On the sidelines of the CHOGM, PM Narendra Modi modi leaders of several nations.
Queen suggests son Prince Charles as next head of Commonwealth
Queen Elizabeth II today appealed to Commonwealth leaders to appoint her son, Prince Charles, to succeed her as their head, making her first direct intervention into a succession plan for the 53-member grouping.
The 91-year-old monarch, the Head of the Commonwealth, said it was her "sincere wish" that Prince Charles takes over "one day", as she opened the two-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The post of Head of Commonwealth is not hereditary and will not pass automatically to the 69-year-old Prince of Wales on the Queen's death.
(PTI)
A look at the Commonwealth.
A tour inside the "leaders lounge" at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 and the room where Commonwealth Heads of Government, including PM Modi, are currently meeting.
Commonwealth leaders (including PM Modi second row, sixth from left) with the Queen at the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Charles at the CHOGM"The modern Commonwealth has a vital role to play in building bridges between our countries, fairer societies within them and a more secure world around them," Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales at the Formal Opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London 2018, said.
Here is his full speech:
Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a very special pleasure to be here with you all this morning and to join Her Majesty The Queen in welcoming each of you to Buckingham Palace for the Formal Opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
This is an occasion to celebrate, with renewed pride, our remarkable Commonwealth family, particularly as it follows so hard on the heels of the twenty-first Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast, at the opening of which I was proud to have been asked to represent Her Majesty. Witnessing this great gathering of seventy-one countries and territories and meeting their athletes in the Games Village was, above all, a moving reminder of the strong and affectionate bonds which we all share.
For my part, the Commonwealth has been a fundamental feature of my life for as long as I can remember, beginning with my first visit to Malta when I was just five years old. I consider myself fortunate over the years to have been able to meet and talk with so many of the giants of the Commonwealth - Sir Robert Menzies; Kwame Nkrumah; Sir Keith Holyoake; Jomo Kenyatta; Pierre Trudeau; Kenneth Kaunda; Julius Nyerere; Lee Kuan Yew and many more. On the foundations they laid, the modern Commonwealth has a vital role to play in building bridges between our countries, fairer societies within them and a more secure world around them.
And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, I pray that this Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will not only revitalize the bonds between our countries, but will also give the Commonwealth a renewed relevance to all citizens, finding practical solutions to their problems and giving life to their aspirations. By doing so, the Commonwealth can be a cornerstone for the lives of future generations, just as it has been for so many of us.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland address leaders and members of the Royal Family at the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
The two-day Commonwealth meet will be held in London and Windsor. While today's meetings in London will focus on the agenda of the summit, tomorrow will see all the heads of states, including PM Modi, head to Windsor for a retreat, where they will interact informally.
Britain Lays Out The Red Carpet For PM Modi
Britain has laid out the red carpet for PM Modi, who has been given a limousine which will take him between various venues, while all other leaders will be going in a coach. This is just one of many things that UK has done to show the importance it gives to its relations with India.
PM Modi Gets Special Invite For CHOGM London 2018This will be the first time in a decade that an Indian prime minister will be attending the event which is held every two years. India got a special invite wherein Prince Charles traveled to India and personally invited Prime Minister Modi for the event. The Queen too sent a personal note inviting the prime minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 52 other heads of government will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting or CHOGM meeting in London today. The Commonwealth meet is being held at the Buckingham Palace and will be formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II.