Sri Lanka to formally assume Commonwealth Chair today
Friday, 15 November 2013 05:52
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Sri Lanka will formally assume the Chair of the Commonwealth this morning when the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting gets underway at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, raising the country’s global profile in an unprecedented way.
As Sri Lanka’s head of state the assuming of the title CHOGM 2013 marks a red letter day in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency of Sri Lanka.
World leaders and heads of delegations of 53 Commonwealth countries will gather at the lotus-shaped auditorium for a colourful opening ceremony.
The event will be presided over by the Prince of Wales, who represents his mother Queen Elizabeth as Head of the Commonwealth at the CHOGM for the first time. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Colombo yesterday.
Soon after the hour long ceremony, heads of government and delegation heads will pose for pictures with the Prince of Wales also at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre.
The heads of government will then attend executive sessions throughout the day. A reception will be hosted by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma for lunch at the Banquet Hall of the BMICH following the first session.
A dinner reception will also be hosted at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel for heads of government by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. On Saturday the heads of government will be on retreat at Waters Edge in Battaramulla.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will host a state banquet for heads of government at Temple Trees on Saturday evening.
