ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday left on a three-day visit to Malta to lead Pakistan delegation at the 24th Commonwealth heads of government meeting.
The Prime Minister will join other world leaders at two retreat sessions that will discuss violent extremism and radicalism, Sustainable Development Goals and the issue of migration.
The theme of CHOGM 2015 this year is “Adding Global Value” and the Summit would dedicate a special session to climate change.
The Prime Minister will also attend two banquets to be hosted by the British Queen and by Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat.
Besides attending the two-day Commonwealth meeting, the Prime Minister will also meet with several world leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to discuss bilateral and global issues.
The summit which was originally designated to be hosted by Mauritius, was given instead to Malta when the Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam refused to attend the CHOGM 2013 over the human rights situation prevailing in the host country, Sri Lanka, and thus withdrew as the host of the 2015 summit as protocol had required him to attend the summit in order to personally invite other member states.
The Commonwealth meeting comes immediately prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. The main session of the Commonwealth conference was accordingly expected to be on the topic of climate change and global sustainability in an attempt to build political support around the issue prior to the Paris summit. Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon has been invited to address the Commonwealth leaders on the issue.
The meeting is also expected to address terrorism and security issues, economic issues, and the European migrant crisis.