Modi in UK: Executive session of CHOGM 2018 underway, PM in attendance
Modi attends 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today join 52 other heads of government in multilateral discussions at the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
An Indian prime minister will attend the Commonwealth Summit, which is held every two years, after a hiatus of nearly a decade, having last attended the 2009 CHOGM in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Summit will be inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace today.
Modi had given the last summit at Malta in 2015 a miss. His predecessor, Manmohan Singh, had not attended the 2011 CHOGM summit in Australia, and the 2013 one in Sri Lanka.
PM Modi, who spent his day on Wednesday in bilateral engagements and addressed the 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath' diaspora event, today join 52 other heads of government at the 25th CHOGM. The executive session of the heads of the Commonwealth countries will be followed by a retreat at Windsor, where the world leaders will interact on an informal basis.
Here are the live updates on PM Modi's second day in UK:
Latest Updates
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: Prince Charles
On Wednesday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor kept political differences aside to speak up against the spate of demonstrations and protests that have greeted PM Modi in the UK during his visit for the Commonwealth Leaders meet in London.
Tharoor wrote that while he supported UK Indians who expressed concern about the government’s ‘weak response to rapes and crimes’, he didn’t condone such attack on PM Modi abroad.
He wrote on Twitter: “While supporting UK Indians who express concern about Govt's weak response to rapes & crimes against women & girls, I cannot support such attacks on @PMOIndia abroad. This plays into the hands of anti-Indian elements (JKLF, Pakistani groups, Khalistanis) piggybacking on our protests.”
The Queen and members of royal family welcome leaders from across the Commonwealth to the formal opening of CHOGM 2018 at Buckingham Palace.
This is the first time since 2009 when Indian Prime Minister will attend CHOGM. Full details here
The executive session will be followed by a retreat at Windsor, where the world leaders will interact on an informal basis.
The executive session of the heads of the Commonwealth countries to be held at 12:15 PM at Lancaster House in London
Queen Elizabeth II to formally open CHOGM at Buckingham Palace 10:00 AM (Local time)