PM Lee, other Commonwealth leaders gather for summit in Rwanda
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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) opening ceremony in Kigali, Rwanda, yesterday.
Held at the Kigali Convention Centre, it marked the official start of the summit that is being held for the first time in four years. Chogm, usually a biennial event, was postponed twice due to Covid-19 and was last held in London in 2018.
PM Lee arrived in Rwanda on Thursday morning and attended a state banquet and welcome reception hosted by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the evening.
In a Facebook post yesterday, he said he went to a car-free zone on Thursday. "Went on a short #jalanjalan at the Kigali Car Free Zone aka Imbuga City Walk yesterday afternoon to shake off the jet lag and get a feel of the city before the welcome reception and state banquet hosted by Rwanda President Paul Kagame. Took in the sights, sounds and the wonderful smiles of the city," said PM Lee.
On the sidelines of the summit yesterday, PM Lee had meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. PM Lee's press secretary Chang Li Lin said the two leaders exchanged views on regional and international developments. They also discussed how India can engage South-east Asia, and the areas that Singapore and India can cooperate in as countries recover from the pandemic.
PM Lee also met World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and he reiterated Singapore's support for reforming and strengthening the WTO. Ms Chang said they also discussed developments in international trade and reaffirmed the importance of global cooperation.
PM Lee will attend events at Chogm till today, and will stay in Kigali for an official bilateral visit tomorrow and on Monday, where he will hold talks with Mr Kagame.
Chogm this year will see leaders from 54 countries gathering in Kigali, and is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants. Key issues expected to be discussed by the leaders include sustainability and Covid-19 recovery.
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