THE disruptions to the world order due to ongoing conflicts can be overcome by the Commonwealth as the largest gathering of democratic countries by pooling its resources to move forward together, Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has said. Singh concluded his UK visit to attend the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) with a special reception at St James’ Palace in London on Monday. The minister, who also holds the portfolio for environment, forest and climate change, discussed aspects of climate action during an audience with King Charles III -- the host of the annual Commonwealth-Day reception.

 

“His Majesty has a very keen interest in the conservation and preservation of the environment, and he said that we have to do this so that our generations do not suffer,” Singh told PTI. This year’s Commonwealth-Day theme centred around “Unlocking opportunities together for a prosperous Commonwealth” and followed a weekend of packed engagements, with Singh leading the Indian delegation at the wide-ranging discussions. “At the (CFAMM) meeting, the overarching thought echoed by all the countries was that we have to make our Commonwealth more relevant in today’s times. One of the major points of the discussions was how the countries can use their comparative and competitive advantages for positive, sustainable growth for all our countries,” Singh said.