Malta will continue to work towards stability and peace in Libya – Bartolo

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo had a virtual meeting with the European and Eurasian Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary, within the State Department of the USA, Philip T. Reeker. 

The meeting highlighted the strong partnership between Malta and the United States, demonstrated, inter alia, through collaboration on the rule of law. 

The two sides agreed to continue building on the strong cooperation between the both countries in different areas including in the fight against organized crime, money laundering and terrorist financing. In this regard, reference was made to the successful Malta Workshops held in April 2021—a series of five workshops hosted by Malta that dealt with a range of important and key topics, including abovementioned themes, the risks associated with high net worth individuals, and the evasion of sanctions. 

Secretary Reeker commended the Malta initiative which saw an average 500 participants per day, with more than 2,500 government officials from 65 countries and territories and representatives of international financial authorities and centers involved and expressed the USA’s full support towards such efforts.

The two sides also discussed regional issues, including stability in the Mediterranean, irregular migration related challenges as well as the situation in Libya. 

Minister Bartolo held that Malta will continue to work together with like-minded partners towards stability and peace in Libya, and to address the needs of the long-suffering Libyan citizens. He reiterated Malta’s full support for the transitional process and expressed Malta’s commitment to a united Libya in the hands of Libyans.