Members of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group met The Prince of Wales at Clarence House on the occasion of the group’s fiftieth meeting.
Members of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group met The Prince of Wales at Clarence House on the occasion of the group’s fiftieth meeting.
The group of foreign ministers, known as CMAG, acts as the custodian of Commonwealth political values, including democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
The briefing – led by chair of CMAG, Cyprus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides, and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland – took place ahead of the group’s milestone half-century meeting at Marlborough House, in London, on 17 March 2017.
Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said, “Members were delighted to be received by The Prince of Wales."
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group was established 22 years ago in 1995 to promote and protect the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values, which are enshrined in the Charter of the Commonwealth.
The Secretary-General continued: “The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group exemplifies the very supportive manner in which the governments of our member states work together to uphold and advance the values and principles of our Commonwealth Charter, to which all our governments have voluntarily committed themselves.”
CMAG is made up of a rotating group of foreign ministers from nine countries, drawn from different regions, including the foreign minister of the Commonwealth Chair in Office. Its meetings are convened by the Commonwealth Secretary-General with the Commonwealth Secretariat providing support.
Members of CMAG who participated in the meeting at Clarence House include Guyana’s Vice President and Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Barrington Greenidge, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar, Kenya’s High Commissioner to the UK Lazarus O. Amayo, Malta’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr George Vella, New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the UK Lockwood Smith, and Pakistan’s Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. The Secretary-General was joined by Deputy Secretary-General Josephine Ojiambo and a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
