Libya has pledged that Maltese citizens applying for a visa would not need to have an "invitation" to visit the country before the document can be issued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Investment Promotion said yesterday.

The ministry, reporting on a two-day visit that Minister John Dalli has just paid to Libya, said the decision by Tripoli meant there would be "full reciprocity" in the way the two countries processed applications leading to the issue of visas.

The need of a visa followed Malta's accession to the European Union.

The ministry said Libya expressed satisfaction at the efficient manner in which the Maltese consulate issued visas to Libyan nationals.

It said items on the agenda of Mr Dalli's talks included Voice of the Mediterranean radio, illegal migration, Malta's membership of the EU and how the two countries can serve as gateway for both Africa and Europe, the Euro-Med process and the death sentence imposed by a Libyan court on a number of Bulgarian doctors. No further details were given.

The ministry said further talks were planned for the near future in order to further strengthen the "excellent links" that already exist between the two countries.

In Libya, Mr Dalli met Foreign Affairs Secretary Abdul Raham Shalgam, the Libyan leader's son Mohammed Gaddafi and the secretary in charge of foreign relations at the People's General Congress Suleiman Al-Shahoumi.

The minister also addressed a seminar on a new vision for the development of energy in Libya which was presided over by Prime Minister Shoukri Ghanem and conducted by Energy Secretary Fathi Shatwan.