Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence to be established in Malta

Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella continued with his engagements in New York, attending various meetings held under the aegis of the Commonwealth. Among these engagements, Minister Vella chaired the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

During this meeting, Minister Vella signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland for the establishment of the Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence in Malta.

Dr Vella also participated in bilateral discussions with the Commonwealth Secretary General during which various aspects of Malta’s relationship with the organisation were raised as well as Malta’s role as Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth until 2017. Dr Vella also participated in the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group which primarily saw a discussion on the political situation in the Maldives.

Besides his commitments in Commonwealth events, Minister Vella also held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of San Marino, the Maldives, Kosovo and Bahrain.

Dr Vella also attended the ministerial meeting on Libya that saw an exchange of views with other Ministers, including Libyan Prime Minister Serraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry, related to the situation in the country.

The Minister’s final engagement in New York was that of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisation meeting. At this meeting, the Minister presented a statement in which he outlined Malta’s priorities, actions and concerns on the issues of xenophobia, migration and integration.

Minister Vella’s engagements in New York came to an end yesterday.