DISRUPTIONS to the global order caused by ongoing conflicts can be addressed if Commonwealth countries work together and pool their resources, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said.
Singh was in the UK to attend the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM). He concluded his visit with a reception at St James’ Palace in London on Monday.
The minister, who also holds the environment, forest and climate change portfolio, discussed climate action during an audience with King Charles, host of the Commonwealth Day reception.
"His Majesty has a very keen interest in the conservation and preservation of the environment, and he said that we have to do this so that our generations do not suffer," Singh told PTI.
This year’s Commonwealth Day theme was "Unlocking opportunities together for a prosperous Commonwealth". The theme followed a weekend of meetings, with Singh leading the Indian delegation in discussions.
"At the (CFAMM) meeting, the overarching thought echoed by all the countries was that we have to make our Commonwealth more relevant in today's times. One of the major points of the discussions was how the countries can use their comparative and competitive advantages for positive, sustainable growth for all our countries," Singh said.
Asked if the conflict in West Asia was discussed, the minister said: "The present disruptions and the changes that are happening in the world order were very much a part of our discussions at the meet.
"We are the largest gathering of democratic countries -- some of them are developed, some are developing -- and we all just have to put our human resources and natural resources together to move forward. Together, we can solve the uncertainties that we are facing today regarding supply-chain disruption, regarding energy security."
Singh said India, with its information technology sector and digital public infrastructure, can be a resource for developing countries in the organisation.
"We all are very happy with the way the Secretary General (Shirley Botchwey) is taking the reforms of the Commonwealth forward and putting in measures that make it more inclusive, more democratic and more transparent," he added.
Earlier, Singh met the UK’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific and Minister for Equalities Seema Malhotra at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Their discussions focused on a "free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific", including maritime security collaboration under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the proposed Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (RMSCE).
After paying floral tributes at the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar and holding bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CFAMM, Singh concluded the UK leg of his two-nation visit. His tour will continue in Chile.
(With inputs from agencies)
