Attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will provide the British government with an opportunity to further urge Sri Lanka to make “concrete progress” on areas of human rights, reconciliation and a political settlement, the country’s envoy in Colombo said.

Responding to a question in the 17th installment of the “Ask the High Commissioner” series published today the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, John Rankin stated that the decision to hold the CHOGM in Sri Lanka this November “isn’t a new one” and that it was taken almost 2 years ago at the last meeting in Perth.
 
Asked why the British government has chosen to attend the CHOGM rather than boycott it as some have urged, he said British Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that he will attend the meet “because of the importance we place in the Commonwealth,” which he termed as an organization of shared values.

“Values of respect for democracy, development, human rights, justice and rule of law. Values which were enshrined in the recently adopted Commonwealth charter, to which all commonwealth member states have signed up,” Mr Rankin said.

He further pointed out that as UK Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt has made clear the Britain would look to Sri Lanka as it would at any host of CHOGM to “demonstrate its commitment to those values.”

“Attendance at CHOGM will also be an opportunity for the British government to further urge Sri Lanka to make concrete progress in the areas of human rights, reconciliation and a political settlement,” he said.