A delegation led by Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, and Ryan Spagnol Secretary to the Cabinet, Office of the Prime Minister, accompanied by Charles Saliba, Malta’s Ambassador to Libya, Brig. Clinton O’Neill, Commander of the Armed Forces, Alex Dalli, Special Envoy for Migration and other high-level officials, held meetings in Tripoli and Benghazi on 29 to 30 May.
The delegation met in Tripoli with General Abdulfatah Belug, Head of Operations of the Armed Forces, Admiral Al Buni, Head of Navy and Admiral Ridaa Ben Isa, Head of Coast Guard, as well as Mr Mohammed Said, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Interior. The meetings were held to consolidate the cooperation already in place between the Maltese and Libyan counterparts in the field of security, border control and irregular migration, which is reflected in information exchange and training of Libyan officials. The two sides also explored new avenues of cooperation especially in view of the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding on Migration that was signed in 2020 and the setting up of a Joint Committee to enhance working-level contacts between the different services.
The delegation also visited Benghazi and was received by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. In his initial remarks, Permanent Secretary Christopher Cutajar welcomed the recent positive developments in the security track following discussions held in 5+5 Joint Military Commission’s meetings, which saw the engagement amongst security and military actors from across Libya. The meeting focused on security challenges that both Malta and Libya are facing in the region, particularly that of irregular migration, and it was agreed to extend engagement with the Navy and Coast Guard, whereby substantial talks were held during this visit. It was agreed to address this shared challenge and to hold further technical discussions to address needs related to capacity building. The potential of a direct air connectivity between Benghazi and Malta, which would complement already established routes to Tripoli and Misrata, was also raised to enhance possibilities for commercial exchanges from this region.
Photos: MFET, MHSR
