Many were the critics when Malta first expressed interest back in November 2013 to host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Those voices, for the most part, were silenced this week for Malta, all things told, rose to the occasion and pulled the whole thing off in marvellous fashion.

The CHOGM also brought substantial added value to Malta, with the nation having been the recipient of a great deal of beneficial PR this week - with media outlets from more than the Commonwealth's 53 nations having heaped praise on the island, extolling its beauty and hospitality.

Bringing the heads of government of 52 different countries from the four corners of the earth together under one roof was no mean feat for Malta. Such events may be far more commonplace in Brussels or Washington DC, but they are a rarity for us.

Considering that, the teething problems were miniscule or practically nonexistent, and the government has well and truly done us proud on this occasion.

There are those who scoff at the concept of the Commonwealth and its heads of government meetings. And there are those who are quick to label it no more than a talking shop.

But the truth of the matter is that the Commonwealth and its ideals are a force for peace and good government. The Commonwealth is, in actual fact, the only organisation apart from the United Nations to bring together rich and poor and large and small countries on a global rather than a regional level, and it represents a population of some 2.2 billion people.

It may be fashionable to scoff at the Commonwealth and question its relevance. Commonwealth summits tend to be seen as a party for the many political leaders whose citizens live in poverty and have their liberties curtailed on a daily basis. But the Commonwealth is more than its meeting of leaders. It has important roles in observing elections in member countries and providing essential guidance on administrative, judicial and regulatory reforms in the countries that need them.

But for those who label the CHOGM a mere talking shop, we must ask what, after all, is wrong with a talking shop that brings together the representatives of close to a third of the world's population to talk?

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat perhaps encapsulated the value of so many nations 'talking' best when he wrote recently in this newspaper: "For the countries that are suffering as a direct consequence of the actions of the more advanced Commonwealth countries, CHOGM can be an important platform where leaders [of the countries doing the exploiting and of the countries being exploited] will be able to talk frankly among themselves.

"Some of the countries participating have already weathered the challenges that others are now facing. Their experiences can spark an important exchange of ideas to help others avoid the pitfalls, while simultaneously building on and adapting the policy decisions that worked."

If 'talking' can lead to results along such lines, then let the talks continue.

Malta holds the Commonwealth Chair in Office for the next two years and it needs to foster these kinds of discussions, which is perhaps where the real yet hidden value of the Commonwealth really lies.

 

A toast to Her Majesty the Queen

Your Majesty, it has been our country's sincere honour and distinct privilege to have hosted you once again this week on the occasion of your no less than seventh State Visit to Malta.

This week, for the second time, you have presided over a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in held Malta. You have held the Commonwealth close to your heart in the decades since your Coronation in 1953. You have fostered its growth and you have been pivotal in its development as a truly global organisation with ever-increasing scope and magnitude.

Your Majesty, on a more personal level it is more than evident that you also hold Malta close to your heart. You have travelled the world several times over since your coronation but you have always consistently returned to Malta over the decades.

With the exception of the UK, Malta is the only place you have ever called 'home'. Those were far more carefree days when you lived here, between 1949 and 1951 as a young newlywed with your husband who was stationed here as a Royal Navy Officer.

That was just before your accession to the throne and all that comes with it. Those were reportedly some of the happiest times of your life and you have often returned to revisit them - most recently in 2007 to, very fittingly, celebrate your diamond wedding anniversary.

Your Majesty, on our part we Maltese have always held you close to our hearts, and not only because you are our Queen or because you once called our islands home.

Speculation is now rife that this may be the final CHOGM over which you are to preside. Your venerable age, it is said, has all but ruled out long-haul travel to the next two CHOGMs, which, up to yesterday, were scheduled to be held in the far-flung destinations of Vanuatu and Malaysia. As such, the concern was that you may never have another chance to attend another meeting of the organisation that you so cherish.

You have guided the modern Commonwealth for the last six decades and many are those who have rightly argued that the next Commonwealth meetings should be rescheduled to be held closer to home.

Downing Street, in fact, yesterday evening announced that CHOGM 2018 will most likely be held in Britain after Vanuatu's infrastructure was badly damaged by a cyclone.  The fact that you will be able to preside over this next CHOGHM is welcome news indeed, and perhaps the location of the following CHOGMs should also be arranged closer to home.

But if this was to be the last CHOGM over which you are to preside, the choice of Malta is more than fitting. Over the decades you have travelled the world, you have gelled the 53 counties of the Commonwealth into its current form, making the world a smaller place in the process. 

And the fact that you may have hosted your final CHOGM here in Malta, in a way, brings you full circle.

Until we meet again... here's to you, Your Majesty.