CHOGM ceremonies and adventures

From Rasika Jayakody in Valetta, Malta

President Maithripala Sirisena is currently in Malta attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. Before the Sri Lankan President left for Malta, a top level government delegation – which included Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sagala Ratnayaka – arrived in the country to attend several side events of the Commonwealth summit.

The Sri Lankan delegation took Emirates Airlines flight EK107 from Dubai and they arrived at Malta’s international airport on Tuesday afternoon.

However, the Sri Lankan VIPs had to face an unexpected and harrowing experience at the airport as they had to deal with a number of unintentional lapses on the part of the Maltese authorities. As a result of CHOGM, Malta had a deluge of VIP visitors arriving at its airport on a daily basis and it threw the country’s authorities into a difficult situation.

For instance, Minister Sagala Ratnayaka, a member of the Sri Lankan delegation to Malta, had to spend nearly one hour at the airport to claim his baggage. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who took the same flight to Malta, underwent the same experience before leaving the airport premises on Tuesday afternoon. Other passengers who came in the flight cleared their baggage long before the two Sri Lankan ministers did, government sources said yesterday. At one point, Minister Ratnayaka, a senior member of the Sri Lankan government, had to take a taxi to his hotel after an event, as there was no official vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister was ‘stuck’ in his hotel room for nearly 30 minutes due to some ‘security issues’.

Trade finance facility

Some foreign delegations who attended the Commonwealth Business Forum had to wait for two hours as Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was late for the CBF official dinner hosted by the Maltese government. The Maltese Prime Minister’s delay was criticized in some sections of the Maltese media over the past few days.

Minister Mangala Samaraweera, in his capacity as the country’s Foreign Ministers, took part in the ministerial action group meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. In addition to the action group meeting, the Foreign Minister, on Thursday, signed a declaration of intent pertaining to the Commonwealth Trade Finance Facility.

By signing the declaration, Malta, India, Mauritius and Sri Lanka agreed to put up undisclosed amounts to finance the facility.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma on Wednesday announced the creation of a trade financing facility for small states that are members of the Commonwealth. Sri Lanka, with the signing of the declaration of intent, became an important stakeholder of the entire process.

Minister Ratnayake could not stay in Malta until the end of the summit as he had to rush back to Colombo to attend a workshop for the UNP MPs in Beruwala. Informed sources said that at the workshop, the UNP MPs would be briefed on the way they should speak about the Budget, especially during public events.

President Maithripala Sirisena and his delegation arrived in Malta on Thursday afternoon. As the Sri Lankan President arrived at the airport there was a heavy downpour and the Maltese authorities took quick measures to provide a VIP vehicle for the President to reach his hotel.

Apart from the Sri Lankan President, five other Commonwealth leaders also came in the same flight which flew to Malta from Dubai. A senior US official, who took part in the CHOGM session as an observer, also took the same flight and while on his way to Malta, the official had a very friendly conversation with the Sri Lankan President.

The Sri Lankan President drew the attention of international media as he was the outgoing Chair in Office of the Commonwealth after a two-year stint. During his short stay in Malta, the President was warmly greeted by other member nations of the Commonwealth for the leadership the country gave to the organization.

Impactful message

The Commonwealth Secretary and his wife welcomed the Sri Lankan President and First Lady at the entrance of the Mediterranean Conference Centre on Friday morning before the commencement of the main summit. They were then greeted by Maltese Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat and his wife.

The Sri Lankan President, who stood alongside the Maltese Prime Minister, greeted Commonwealth Heads of State arriving at the Conference Centre in Valetta for the Summit.

Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma stood next to the Sri Lankan President, the outgoing Chair in Office, when greeting commonwealth leaders.

President Sirisena and the First Lady walked into the main conference hall along with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Maltese Prime Minister and his wife, and the Commonwealth Secretary General who attends his last session.

The President’s brief address to the heads of government contained a short but impactful message.

“Two years ago when we met in Sri Lanka we agreed that achieving growth with equity and inclusivity must be the main concerns of the Commonwealth.We also noted that promoting Sustainable Development will need intensified efforts both nationally and internationally.

"I am further pleased to note that the United Nations also has given priority to Sustainable Development Goals, meaning, integrating our efforts with the United Nations," said the Sri Lankan President, while handing over the Commonwealth Chair to the Maltese Prime Minister.

President Sirisena was due to meet several Commonwealth Heads of State for bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the main session. On Friday evening, UK Prime Minister David Cameron held a bilateral meeting with the President.

During the discussion, the UK Prime Minister Cameron commended the government's efforts on the reconciliation front. He said the people should be benefitted by the government's progress. The UK Prime Minister also added that his government would strongly back Sri Lanka in this regard.

President Sirisena , at the meeting with the UK Prime Minister had briefed the latter on the new government's commitment to strengthen democracy and good governance, over the past 10 months.

The Sri Lankan President's other bilateral meetings were fixed for Saturday.

Earlier this month, President Sirisena was planning to attend the Global Climate Summit in France, after the conclusion of CHOGM. However, the Sri Lankan President was compelled to revise his plan following the terrorist attack in Paris. At the time the President arrived in Malta, it was not clear whether he would attend the Global Climate Summit before leaving for Sri Lanka.

However, the French authorities made multiple requests, urging the Sri Lankan President to attend the climate summit. They assured security for the Sri Lankan President's visit. Therefore, at the eleventh hour, President Sirisena decided to visit France with a relatively small delegation. The French authorities were appreciative of the Sri Lankan President's move to stand by Paris in their hour of need.