Kigali (Rwanda), Jun 25 (AP) The African nations of Gabon and Togo have been admitted into the Commonwealth group of nations.

“We welcome them,” Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whose government hosted a summit of Commonwealth leaders this week, told reporters on Saturday.

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Gabon and Togo are Francophone countries that actively tried to join the bloc of 54 nations.

The Commonwealth's titular head is Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Charles represented his mother at the summit in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

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The admission of the two new members was a highlight of the summit. The meeting, which closes later on Saturday, also raised more than USD 4 billion in pledges toward the fight against malaria and other tropical diseases.

The summit took place place at an uncertain time for the British monarchy as well as the Commonwealth, whose relevance is sometimes questioned.

Even as the Commonwealth appears attractive to prospective members, some existing member nations are discussing whether to remove the queen as their head of state.

Elizabeth is the head of state of 14 Commonwealth realms, but Barbados cut ties with the monarchy in November. Several other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, say they plan to follow suit.

Charles told the summit on Friday that “free” nations can make such decisions “calmly and without rancour”. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)