As the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis joins with the other 51 Commonwealth Member countries across the world to commemorate Commonwealth Day 2017, under the theme “A peace-building Commonwealth”, it gives me great pleasure as the Minister of Foreign Affairs to speak to the importance of our Commonwealth membership at this time.

The organization known as Commonwealth is still quite relevant today, for us particularly as a Small Island Developing State. As we continue to work towards carving out our space in the international community, whilst striving to improve the lives of our citizens through new and diverse opportunities, the bonds we share and the bridges we are able to build with our Commonwealth siblings is increasingly important. The avenues of interdependence, mutual exchange and collective action through which we are able to collaborate continue to unite us.