Thank you all

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2005 has been another moment where I, as Prime Minister of Malta, took great pride in being Maltese.

As a nation and as a people we have once again made known our hospitality and our resourcefulness. We have lived up to and excelled in offering the finest standards in hosting high profile guests and events. We have succeeded once more in bringing to international recognition the fact that Malta is not only a place of excellence and standards, worthy of interest and investment, but also a place rich in historical and cultural assets.

It is my sincere desire to thank personally each and every one of you whose hard work and efforts contributed to the successful culmination of the CHOGM week. In the circumstances of this not being possible, through this message I hope to extend my heartfelt thanks, appreciation and recognition to you and to all the people of Malta for the commendable performance throughout the past week. I would like to praise your enthusiasm and your power that have made this CHOGM a safe, enjoyable and, above all, memorable event.

Your participation as representatives of Maltese civil society, our business community and our young people was a manifestation of a dynamic and motivated society that fills me with confidence in a prosperous future for our nation.

Your contribution, undoubtedly moved by a desire to improve the lives of Maltese people and people from all over the Commonwealth family by sharing your ideas, knowledge and experiences is a signature of the ideals and values we treasure as a people.

Last week, Malta has continued to foster a vibrant Commonwealth family that responds and adapts to contemporary realities yet attentively plans for a better future for all its members.

My deepest gratitude goes out to all of you who, through your openness to others, have made this CHOGM yet another opportunity for Malta to strengthen its identity and uniqueness.

Throughout history, we Maltese have learnt that success for cultural survival does not come out of self-isolation but out of faith in cherished values and dialogue with others.

In times sadly marked by conflict and terrorism, Malta has proudly served as a location for economic and political peaceful dialogue to take place. The experience of really and symbolically representing a bridge between people, countries, cultures, and multinational organisations has been significantly enriching and promises many future opportunities for our nation.

The ingenuity that you have demonstrated in responding so efficiently to the exciting yet demanding circumstances of the past week, once again brings to my attention the resourcefulness of us Maltese as a nation.

The rapidity of change is distinctive of human history and therefore the requirement to be able to adapt and change is a crucial and vital ingredient for success. You have been living proof that Malta's greatest resource is indeed the creativity, integrity and outstanding work of our people.

With an eventful CHOGM week having been concluded, Malta can now look forward for the debates, exchanges, positive impressions and relationships to pay off.

Thank you all. You made us, once more, proud to be Maltese.