When the Commonwealth conference opens in Uganda today, the Queen, Gordon Brown, the Prince of Wales and about 50 other leaders from Britain's former empire will be present. This unique gathering is damned by some as an outdated relic of the age of colonialism. But Lord Howe, who as Sir Geoffrey Howe, served as Margaret Thatcher's Foreign Secretary between 1983 and 1989, said that the Commonwealth was an "important asset" for Britain and every other member state.
The purpose of the Conservative Foreign & Commonwealth Council is to promote greater understanding among different countries and cultures in a safe, just and prosperous world.
SPEECH BY HE Ashraf Uddin, Acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK at the Conservative Commonwealth and Foreign Affairs Council, Jubilee Room, House of Commons.
A talk presented for the Conservative Foreign & Commonwealth Council in the House of Commons on the 26th of March 2007, Dr. Arjan Gjonça, London School of Economics.
Defence Diplomacy = to provide forces to meet the varied activities undertaken by the MoD to dispel hostility, build and maintain trust and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces, thereby making a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution.
Dr John Swenson-Wright, Lecturer in Modern Japanese Studies and a Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge. Talk in the House of Commons on Monday 27th November 2006
