The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Opening Ceremony in Malta.
The 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opened earlier today, bringing together leaders from 53 Commonwealth countries.
The ceremony included speeches from the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat, outgoing Commonwealth Chair-in-Office Maithripala Sirisena, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who declared proceedings officially open. The ceremony also featured an array of impressive cultural presentations from Malteste locals.
Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat
"Your Majesty, Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Merhba. Welcome to Sunny Malta.
Malta prides itself with having 300 days of sunshine every year. Unfortunately we picked one of the remaining 65 for the opening of the Commonwealth Summit.
One of the few things one cannot choose in life is one’s parents. Not only we cannot choose them, but we are their product, and most of the times, their choice. Parents are like the history of generations past. We have no say about the choices that have been made before our time, but we are their result.
We achieve our aspirations in life not by shackling ourselves with the past but by working hard for the future. That is how social mobility takes place. That is how society progresses. That is how children achieve more in a short span of time than their parents managed in their whole lifetime. In doing so, they also fulfil the legitimate aspirations of previous generations."
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Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma
"Your Majesty, President Preca, Prime Minister Muscat, President Sirisena, distinguished Heads of Government, representatives and guests from the Commonwealth family and beyond: Merħba - welcome!
It is also a great pleasure to have Your Royal Highnesses in our midst. Your enduring support for our Head of the Commonwealth is greatly valued.
It is good to see CHOGM back in Malta. Through the great generosity of the Government and people of Malta we have been invited to assemble here for a second time in ten years. This fact, and the warmth of welcome extended to all who are participating in this Summit and the associated Forums, shows the depth of this country’s commitment to the Commonwealth."
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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
"Prime Minister Muscat, Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen.
This is the second time in a decade that the flags of the Commonwealth have flown over Malta for the Heads of Government meeting. It gives me great pleasure to salute the Maltese Government and people for the resolute support which they have given to the Commonwealth and to this gathering.
Malta is, by the modern definition, one of the Commonwealth's Small States, a group which constitutes more than half of its membership. These sovereign countries have an equal voice in the councils of the Commonwealth, and none more so than Malta. With its long history of resilience and courage in the face of adversity, Malta is a reminder that a nation's size is no measure of the moral strength of its people or its willingness to play a full part in the global agenda."
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Social media
Join the conversation online: @commonwealthsec @chogm2015mt #CHOGM2015
#CHOGM2015 Opening Ceremony - a highlight! If you missed it visit: https://t.co/MP5EW8bcPx pic.twitter.com/nfo8ZKiB0L
— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec) November 28, 2015
http://vimeo.com/147107790?ref=tw-share
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