Malta’s new ambassador to Libya presents his credentials to al Serraj

Carmelo Saliba, who was selected for the role last July, is the first Maltese Ambassador to Libya in almost five years, presented his credentials to Fayez al Serraj.

The Maltese Embassy in Tripoli, along with a number of other foreign embassies and missions, left the country in 2014 due to the violent clashes that broke out in the city between rival armed groups.

The re-opening of the Maltese Embassy in Libya represents a concise effort to restart the historical connection that has existed for centuries between Malta and Libya and, in fact, last month Air Malta’s Chief Commercial Officer Paul Sies also confirmed that there was talk of Air Malta resuming flights between Malta and Libya. Currently, only Medavia is operating flights between Malta and Tripoli, using a turbo-prop aircraft. 

Earlier, last year, The Times reported that the lack of a Maltese representative in Libya had not gone unnoticed by many in the civil service and amongst the general population, he said, and public sentiment towards Malta had been soured as a result of this perceived “abandonment.”

Mr Saliba said that overcoming this hostile public sentiment was a priority, adding that he was unable to accomplish this task alone and would require support from Malta’s government and Opposition, and from those with business interests in the area.

He reiterated that Libya’s present situation was not sustainable, not least because of the problems that its unsecured borders were posing for Europe with respect to immigration.

The report said that the embassy could be reopened, he added, it was important to study the country’s situation well, as many companies would take the reopening of the embassy as a sign to resume operations in Libya. He identified criminality arising from the collapse of the rule of law and the lack of financial liquidity as two obstacles standing in the way of commercial activity.