The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam, joined the ministers from other 52 member-countries for the 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting in London where all the leaders signed up to a renewed affirmation of the organisation’s goals.

The meeting, which marked the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth, was hosted by Britain in its capacity as Chair-in-Office and led by UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is currently in a leadership race with Boris Johnson to replace Theresa May as the new Prime Minister of the UK.

“The 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth was celebrated today when Foreign Ministers representing the governments of its member countries met in London and reaffirmed their commitment to the core values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter,” said an official statement from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

“The text of the affirmation draws on declarations made by Commonwealth leaders through seven decades,” it added.

Alam also held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

“Reiterated the highest priority accorded to India-Bangladesh ties and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest,” the Indian minister said in reference to his talks with Alam.

The Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting undertook a review of the implementation of the mandates of set out during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April last year alongside discussions on CHOGM 2020 to be held in the Rwandan capital of Kigali in June next year. The ministers also agreed to recommendations submitted by the Board of Governance after deliberating on two High-Level Group reports prepared in accordance with the mandate set out at CHOGM 2015.

“We commit with renewed confidence and determination to work towards deepening the impact that the connected Commonwealth brings to our world,” notes the Affirmation signed by the foreign ministers of the member countries.