According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s House, King Charles III of Great Britain called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and extended an invitation for him to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October.
The website of the Commonwealth states that every two years, various member countries rotate in to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The conference will take place in Samoa this year, from October 21 to October 26, instead of Rwanda like it did in 2022.
The PMO release states that PM Shehbaz welcomed the invitation and stated that the summit would mark a “significant moment” in the Commonwealth’s history because it would be the first one the King would chair after taking office as head of state in September 2022.
According to the statement, “Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Commonwealth and the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.”
“He stated that the Commonwealth-wide gathering in Samoa would offer a platform to deliberate on prospects for augmenting intra-Commonwealth collaboration on several crucial matters, like cultivating sustainable growth, fortifying democratic establishments, and endowing Commonwealth adolescents with agency.”
Noting the King’s long-standing interest in environmental concerns and a number of climate sustainability measures, PM Shehbaz said he was especially looking forward to discussing climate change with Commonwealth leaders, given Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to its effects.
Climate change caused Pakistan to experience the worst floods in its history in 2022. According to government estimates, the severe floods destroyed stretches of agricultural land, killed 1,700 people, and caused losses estimated at $30 billion. They also affected 33 million people.
In addition, the prime minister asked how the monarch was doing and wished the Princess of Wales well after she declared earlier this month that her chemotherapy treatment had been successfully finished.
In May of last year, PM Shehbaz traveled to London to witness both the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the coronation of King Charles III.
“Rooted in shared history and multifaceted bonds that have grown stronger over the decades” is how he had put it in a tweet prior to his departure.
He had declared, “Pakistan has been a great friend of the British monarch and the royal family.”
