MALTESE FOREIGN MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO RUSSIA

MALTESE FOREIGN MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO RUSSIA

On 7 June 2000, a Maltese Delegation, led by Foreign Minister Dr. Joe Borg, arrived in Moscow for an official visit of two days as guest of the Russian Government. During his stay in Moscow the Minister had talks with the Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Mme. Valentina Matvienko, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Igor Ivanov.

H.E. Matvienko recalled with great pleasure her term of office as Ambassador to Malta and expressed the view that co-operation between the two countries should continue to be enhanced both on the bilateral front and within multilateral fora.

During their meeting the two Foreign Ministers reiterated their commitment towards the further deepening of the friendly relations between the two countries. The Hon. Dr. Borg and his counterpart expressed their desire to increase contacts between the two countries in the political, economic and cultural fields. The two Ministers agreed to set up a joint Working Group to review current outstanding issues and identify possibilities of furthering future bilateral co-operation. The discussion also focused on EU relations and the Mediterranean dimension.

The two Ministers then addressed the media and continued their exchange of views on current and future international matters during the official lunch hosted by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister also took the opportunity to view the premises under consideration to serve as the new location for Malta's Embassy in Moscow.