Irregular migration tops agenda in first Malta, Somalia bilateral meeting

For the first time, bilateral meetings were held between Malta and Somalia with the issue of irregular migration topping the discussions.

The meeting was held in New York between Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Somalia's deputy prime minister Yusuf Adam.

Minutes after the meeting, Muscat took to Twitter to express satisfaction for having "achieved" one of the Maltese delegation's main aims in New York.

#Malta #Somalia finally sitting around same table to discuss #migration.Achieved 1of #UNGA main aims+started process re diplo relationsJM — Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) September 28, 2013

In a statement, the government said the bilateral meeting sought to open the doors for diplomatic relations with Somalia.

"The meeting was held on the Prime Minister's insistence," the government said. "One of his main goals while attending the General Assembly was to initiate diplomatic contact between both sides."

The Maltese delegation put forward a formal call for the start of relationship between the two countries. The Somali government is expected to official confirm this request in the coming weeks.

"This was the first step towards collaboration between the two governments over irregular migration and tangible methods were discussed to see how this could be achieved," the government said.

Muscat reiterated the meeting with Somalia's deputy prime minister was an important step for Malta to address irregular migration.