Initial agreement on new US embassy

The Maltese Government and the United States embassy on Friday signed a preliminary agreement for the purchase of a site in Ta' Qali earmarked for the construction of a new US embassy.

The US will invest over Lm18 million in the project. The agreement is subject to approval by Parliament.

The embassy said that since 1998 the US had undertaken a long-term worldwide project to construct several new diplomatic missions overseas; 47 such projects are currently under way. This scheme includes new embassies and consulates in several European and Mediterranean countries.

Under this initiative, the US government is striving to build secure and functional buildings that blend American and local architectural traditions. The present US embassy has been located on St Anne Street in Floriana for well over 30 years.

The new building will provide more comfortable, modern space for the full range of diplomatic activities that the embassy carries out.

American diplomats first arrived in Malta in 1798 and the two countries have had full, close diplomatic ties since Malta achieved independence in 1964.