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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 12 May 2021:
Libya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Najla Mangoush, held a meeting with the Maltese Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance, Evarist Bartolo and Clyde Caruana, in the Maltese capital, Valletta yesterday.
The Minister discussed with the Maltese ministers the fight against irregular migration, border protection, in addition to the importance of resuming flights between Malta and Libya with the aim of opening the doors of trade and investment.
The two sides agreed to work to hold an economic forum between the Chambers of Commerce and the Businessmen Council in the two countries to enhance and support bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy and trade.
In addition to strengthening cooperation in the field of combating drug smuggling, psychotropic substances, organized crime, sea and air border control, and fuel smuggling.
The Ministers also talked about the historical trade ties between the two countries, and expressed their commitment to strengthening the commercial operations of Maltese companies in Libya, and to facilitate new investments that will be beneficial to Malta and Libya.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to pay attention to the Libyan community in Malta and urged the Maltese government to overcome the difficulties and problems of the Libyan community in Malta, especially facilitating the procedures for issuing residency and entry visas for students.
Mangoush called on the Maltese side to seek to resolve the issue of the two Libyan Global 5000 aircraft in detention and owned by United Aviation, which are currently in Malta for the purpose of maintenance.
The Minister also urged the Maltese government to expedite setting a date for signing the Memorandum of Understanding presented by the Libyan side on customs cooperation, as well as setting an appropriate mechanism to limit the phenomenon of smuggling goods and drugs, and exchanging security information between the two countries, in implementation of the trade agreement signed between the two countries on 7/7/1971.
For his part, the Maltese Foreign Minister affirmed that his country will continue to work for peace and stability in Libya so that it can enjoy its wealth.
He pointed out that Malta would remain open to act as a bridge between Libya and the rest of Europe to achieve security and peace in the Mediterranean and Europe.
The two Maltese Ministers confirmed the resumption of work at their embassy in Tripoli and work to open consulates in Benghazi and Misrata.
