Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will lead the Pakistan delegation to the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM-2018), in London from April 18-20, 2018. The main theme of this Conference is “Towards A Common Future.”
Participation in CHOGM-2018 would provide an opportunity to highlight the progress made by Pakistan including its transition to a modern and dynamic emerging market, which is an attractive destination for business, investment and trade.
During his stay in London, the Prime Minister will call on HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH the Prince of Wales and meet Prime Minister Theresa May amongst other Commonwealth leaders. It will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.
The Prime Minister will participate in all executive and retreat sessions as well as a number of events being held on the sidelines of the CHOGM.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Foreign Minister, Ahsan Iqbal, Interior Minister and Muhammad Parvaiz Malik, Commerce Minister would also be attending the CHOGM and parallel events on the sidelines. The Ministers will attend the relevant Forums. They will also meet their British counterparts and hold other important meetings on the sidelines of the Summit.
On Pakistan delegation’s participation in the CHOGM, H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, said: “Being a founding member of the Commonwealth, Pakistan attaches great importance to the organization and shares its core values. Highest level participation from Pakistan also reflects our strong ties with the Commonwealth.
“I see great opportunity for Pakistan in intra-Commonwealth trade. Post-Brexit when the UK will be looking for new markets, Pakistan with its liberal trade and investment regime would be a natural choice for the UK companies.”
Pakistan is one of the founding members of the organization. The current membership of the Commonwealth consists of 53-member states reflecting diversity of all continents of the world. Commonwealth provides a market of over 2.2 billion people, spread across all six continents, covering nearly a quarter of the world’s land mass and a combined GDP of GBP 6.9 trillion.
