Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK has this week continued to strengthen the Isle of Man’s relations with countries throughout the Commonwealth.

Mr Quayle travelled to London to represent the Isle of Man Government at the latest meeting of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council’s (CWEIC) Advisory Board.

It is the first time the Isle of Man has taken part in the discussions since becoming a strategic partner of the CWEIC in August.

Prior to attending the Advisory Board, the Chief Minister had a productive meeting with Richard Burge, the Chief Executive Officer of the CWEIC.

The visit to London also served to continue the Isle of Man Government’s programme of engagement with key figures in Westminster and the City.

Mr Quayle said: ‘I am committed to developing closer economic connections with countries around the world to open up new trade opportunities for the Isle of Man. As a leading international business centre, I believe there is great value to the Island in building on our existing links with the Commonwealth, particularly with an eye towards the post-Brexit environment. The Commonwealth offers a global network of markets and opportunities that the Isle of Man is particularly well placed to support.’

He added: ‘Becoming a strategic partner of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council is an important step for us. This is an organisation that brings together heads of government and business leaders to promote trade and investment across the Commonwealth’s 53 member states and a combined population of 2.4 billion. It was good to start establishing relations with the other members of the Advisory Board and to have such a positive one-to-one meeting with the Council’s Chief Executive Officer. A key area of discussion was the Commonwealth Business Forum, which is part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit to be held in London next April.’