Deepening our ties with Commonwealth

This is organised by the office of the Deputy Chief Minister in conjunction with the Royal Commonwealth Society. The Government's Media Director Mr Clive Golt will be acting as Moderator for the Seminar. It is to be opened by his Excellency the Governor, who is the Patron of the Royal Commonwealth Society here in Gibraltar and the seminar is to be followed by questions and a panel discussion.

Five speakers will make up this seminar, including two from Gibraltar and three special guests from abroad. This includes:

The Hon. Dr Joseph Garcia MP (Historian and Politician). Subject: 'Brexit and the Commonwealth: One door closes and another door will open'

Rt Hon The Lord Marland (Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. Politician and Businessman). Subject: 'The Commonwealth: a gateway for business and opportunity'

Mr Jared Peralta (Gibraltar representative before the Commonwealth Youth Forum 2018). Subect: 'My Commonwealth Youth Forum Experience'

The Hon. Alexander Downer AC (Politician and Diplomat). Subject: 'Can Gibraltar use the Commonwealth to its advantage?'

Mr Akbar Khan (Barrister-at-law and Diplomat. Secretary General, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association). Subject: 'Leveraging opportunities within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in a "Post-Brexit" Era.’

Dr Joseph Garcia said 'We are leaving the European Union, together with the United Kingdom, on the 29th March. The Government took the view that we would deepen our ties with the Commonwealth at the same time'

'The Government has set out over the last couple of years to increase and to enhance our relationship under our connections with the Commonwealth. We believe very strongly that there are values and conditions that we share that we have in common, democracy, human rights, even the principle of self-determination and protecting minorities. It's no accident I suppose that in the 1960s, one of the greatest defenders of Gibraltar at the United Nations were countries from the Commonwealth, particularly Australia. In the decades since then, Gibraltar has been involved with a number of Commonwealth organisations. We have attended every single Commonwealth Games, which started way back in 1958. You will know that Gibraltar has a bid to hold a Commonwealth Youth Games here in 2021, at the moment competing with Trinidad and Tobego for that honour. The Commonwealth parliamentary association is another organisation we have participated in extensively over many years...Also there are a number of Commonwealth organisations where the activity there has been more recent, the Commonwealth Communications Union recently decided to create a category of associate membership or affiliate membership and Gibraltar has now joined as an affiliate member of that organisation, together with Montserrat and Bermuda.'

05-03-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR