Every two years, the heads of state of Commonwealth countries get together to discuss issues that have a direct bearing on the workings of the individual countries and of the group.

These so-called summits are an opportunity for the leaders of the 53 Commonwealth nations, headed by Queen Elizabeth II, to hold talks on a particular subject and also find the time for bilateral meetings that will be so beneficial to relations between those involved.

Over the next three days, Malta will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – the first time that the country has been granted such an honour and certainly the biggest event to be organised in its history.

The Bush-Gorbachev summit of 1989 had a greater political importance, but having more than 40 heads of state in Malta at the same time has stretched our resources much more. Even the visits by Pope John Paul II did not require so much planning.

Prior to this main event, to be opened by Her Majesty at the Mediterranean Conference Centre this morning, several other fora have been organised, including one related to business, another known as the people’s forum and a third, which was the first to start, which brings together young people from many Commonwealth countries. Foreign ministers are also holding meetings ahead of the actual CHOGM.

What is discussed in these meetings is then converged in the CHOGM itself, a three-day forum which is mostly a private retreat for the heads of state, set rather informally to allow a more open exchange of views.

Several issues have been discussed in the past, including peace and security, education, debt, the environment, health, human rights and multilateral trade issues. This time, the main theme, chosen by Malta as host country, is “Networking the Commonwealth for Development”.

The theme must be of concern to all the participating states, specifically to the developing countries. Many Commonwealth states are still considered to be developing countries. On the official CHOGM 2005 site, it is said that “No theme could be more appropriate than that of the bridging of the digital divide, a necessity if such countries are to develop and prosper.”

As Commonwealth secretary-general Don McKinnon explained: “Networking the Commonwealth for Development will enable leaders not only to discuss the important issue of bridging the digital divide, but also to identify ways of enhancing cooperation for prosperity, development and democracy, using Commonwealth networks to achieve these goals”.

The heads of state who will be meeting in Malta this weekend will no doubt try to find ways and means of helping each other in this regard. This is, after all, the purpose of such conventions.

Added to the CHOGM itself, delegations from different countries can also hold talks at bilateral level, first of all to improve relations that already exist and possibly to find more common ground for better cooperation.

Malta has geared up well to host this activity. No stone has been left unturned from an organisational point of view to give our guests a comfortable stay in these islands.

Added to this, we have once again shown a kind of hospitality that is rare to find. The emotional welcome given to Queen Elizabeth in Valletta soon after her arrival for a four-day stay is yet another example of a characteristic that distinguishes the Maltese people in this regard.

It is no wonder that, in her speech at the state dinner on Wednesday evening, Her Majesty expressed her happiness at returning to a country where the people “have always offered us the hand of friendship”.