ONBOARD, Nov 1 (ANI): Brushing aside reports of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit Meeting (CHOGM) failing to steer reforms at Perth, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari has said the Summit was satisfactory.
While addressing Indian mediapersons onboard a flight to New Delhi, Ansari said: "The overall assessment is satisfactory. There was an expectation in some quarters that the summit would address itself only to one set of issues, which is a kind of turning table upside down and focus only on institutional reforms. Now those who started with that kind of agenda obviously had to settle for more modest results."
He listed the issues India represented before the heads of Commonwealth nations during the summit.
"Retain the focus on the development agenda of CHOGM; it has always been so with us, secondly is to reflect the perspective on developing countries on contemporary issues meaning thereby food security, global economic situation, health and gender," he said.
"Thirdly, to highlight our views on international terrorism and means to combat it and related to that issues relating to piracy and the ongoing debate about the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Fourthly, to reiterate our perspective on its institutional reforms of the Commonwealth. Our view was and is that strengthening existing institutions is preferable to having new ones," he added.
The Vice President further said that continuing engagements with least developed countries, small island states and reiterating continued support to the Secretary General amongst other issues.
He also said that he had a cordial meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during the Summit who also seconded India's proposal over extension of Kamlesh Sharma as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth for another term. By Mrityunjay SinghANI)
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