During a speech in the House of Lords, Lord Navnit Dholakia thanked the Minister for the Commonwealth, Lord Ahmad for his contributions to Commonwealth Heads of Government collective and the sustainable development goals. He spoke at length about the importance of building good relationships with the Commonwealth friends and about helping trade deals flourish at this crucial time of the country.
“Over the years, we have diluted the importance of the Commonwealth in the work of the Foreign Office,” Lord Dholakia said as he acknowledged Lord Howell's efforts in bringing the Commonwealth back into the mainstream of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Stressing on the importance of building new trading relationships as Britain is set to leave the European Union, he said, “CHOGM is meeting in London at a crucial time when minds are focused on identifying countries where trade relations are vital for the prosperity of the United Kingdom. We can no longer afford to ignore our Commonwealth countries in this equation.” He added, “The days of imperial power have gone; we now have to treat these countries as equal partners.”
Lord Dholakia also highlighted the importance of nations acting within commonly agreed norms and standards of fairness and ethics.
