Muscat after stronger relationship with neighbouring North African countries

Between receptions and bilateral meetings, the first 48 hours of the Maltese delegation to the 68^th session of the United Nations General Assembly have been quite busy.

The delegation, led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, met with the Algerian foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra, Egypt's foreign minister Nabil Fahmy, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.

Their third meeting taking place in New York, the warm collegial rapport between Muscat and his Libyan counterpart was evident from the friendly greetings they exchanged.

The two continued discussing the way forward following the signing of the memorandum between Malta and Libya, securing advantageous prices for the procurement of petrol, diesel, jet oil and LPG.

Zeidan reiterated his government's commitment in collaborating with Malta in energy while Muscat said the agreement will translate in peace of mind for both consumers and Enemalta workers.

"This agreement goes hand-in-hand with the memorandum of understanding signed with China, which will also result in Malta exporting energy," Muscat said.

Muscat and Zeidan pledged collaboration in different sectors.

Meeting the GCC

During the meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Muscat spoke about the government's plan in directing its foreign policy towards Malta's neighboring countries in the Mediterranean.

The GCC is a political and economic union of Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Muscat highlighted the importance of a strong relationship between the island and GCC, both as an organisation and with the individual countries. Muscat insisted it was high time that Malta strengthened its relationship with Mediterranean region.

"This cooperation will give a particular focus to energy. And like agreements have been signed with China and Libya, GCC member states have an important role to play in investing in Malta's traditional and alternative energy," the Prime Minister said.

He added that such cooperation could also include commercial investment. "Like the investment made by a Kuwaiti company in Fimbank, same could be done by GCC members in helping the stability and prosperity of other countries like Malta," Muscat said.

GCC secretary-general Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani said Malta could help in facilitating their investment across EU member states.

Meeting Egypt, Algeria

The Maltese delegation also met the Algerian minister for foreign affairs Ramtane Lamamra and Egypt's foreign minister Nabil Fahmy.

During his talks with Fahmy, Muscat was briefed over the current situation in Egypt. The Maltese PM said he hoped that the political process is implemented in the best possible way, as stability in Egypt was important for the Mediterranean.

He also said that Malta considered Egypt as a trusted friend and important partner.

With Lamamra, Muscat discussed tourism and expressed his government's will to seeing a stronger relationship with Algeria. The possibility of a joint commission being set up was also discussed.

The Prime Minister also attended the opening ceremony of the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly which was addressed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.