Sri Lanka being endorsed by the recent summit to host the 2013 CHOGM on a proposal made by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is an important milestone in the consistent engagement of our country with the work of the Commonwealth, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama at a press briefing today (7 Dec).

As Australia and Mauritius had offered to host CHOGM, Prime Minister Brown articulated the position that all three countries are equally qualified for this purpose, the Minister stated.

This consensual endorsement of Sri Lanka by the entire membership of the Commonwealth singularly demonstrates the acceptance of Sri Lanka’s adherence to Commonwealth values and principles, with the country being a vibrant democracy, he said.

Minister Bogollagama noted that the hosting of such a summit as the CHOGM would have a two fold benefit. For Commonwealth partners, it would provide a window of opportunity to productively engage themselves with the post- conflict reconstruction and development phase in Sri Lanka. For Sri Lanka, it would provide an opportunity to project itself as a model of state governance and a nation that has successfully transcended a long – standing conflict.

The Minister also stated that Sri Lanka has been a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) from 2003 to 2009, serving an unprecedented three terms, while the norm has been for countries to serve only two terms. The primary objective of the CMAG is to ensure that member states uphold the Harare Commonwealth principles which are based on democratic values and practices.