Queen Elizabeth II declared opened the 24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta on Friday alongside a colourful ceremony attended by world leaders, gathered for pressing talks on a number topics.
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In his welcome address, Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat said combating terrorism and extremism should be the top most priority of Commonwealth and sought wider discussion among the member countries to deal with the challenge of climate change.
The Queen has officially opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, saying she was “enormously proud” of the global body’s achievements over more than six decades.
Speaking at the Commonwealth summit in Malta, where leaders from the 53-country organisation were seeking common ground on the issue, Hollande said it was mankind’s duty to reach an “ambitious” accord so that global warming was tamed.
It is understood that Queen Elizabeth, head of the Commonwealth since 1952, will not undertake long-haul travel for future summits.
It was the first time in 40 years, the Queen of Tamil Eelam did not attend a CHOGM meeting.
The two leaders, who met on the fringes of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Maltese capital, expressed long-term commitment to work together for greater security and prosperity of their countries. The theme for this year 2015 meeting is Adding Global Value.
Details of the Queen’s exchange with Mr Turnbull were not revealed by the prime minister’s staff. However, Buckingham Palace did release a picture of the exchange, among many others, via its Twitter account.
In a highly unusual move, the French president will make a direct appeal to this key group of world leaders ahead of the climate change summit he will host in Paris next week.
Mr Cameron pledged £1 million of funding annually for five years to help set up the new unit and a further £200,000 will go on expanding a European counter-radicalisation youth programme to include the Commonwealth.
But the Queen would have been aware that following his rise to the prime ministership in September, Mr Turnbull said the republican issue would not be revisited until Her Majesty’s reign had ended.
The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were last to be seated in the front row.
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On climate change, Sharma said the summit’s final statement should have a “strong political component” and would also “indicate measures which the Commonwealth is going to undertake, particularly for small and vulnerable states”.
