Malta to have embassy in India by mid-2006

The government is expected to go ahead with the opening of a High Commission in India by the second quarter of this year, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo said.

Launching the strategic objectives of Malta's Foreign Policy in Valletta yesterday, Dr Frendo said the Maltese government was in contact with the government of India to start the process for the opening of an embassy in New Delhi.

"For India, an English-speaking country, Malta can be a door to the European market. We can also provide after-sales service for their products in Europe," Dr Frendo said.

One of the 20 strategic objectives set by the ministry is precisely to promote Malta's relationship with existing and emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil and South Africa.

According to the minister, an embassy in India would facilitate contact between Maltese and Indian businessmen as commerce and investment opportunities are enhanced.

Maltese businessmen, however, have often said that business people from emerging economies meet obstacles when asking for a Maltese visa, adding this has made contact with prospective investors or business partners very difficult and at times impossible.

Similar calls were made by those involved in the language schools business when the granting of visas to Chinese students came close to a halt last year following the drowning of Chinese nationals off the Sicilian coast in Easter.

Asked by The Times how the visa issue was being tackled, Dr Frendo said the Foreign Ministry was working with the Home Affairs Ministry which was ultimately responsible for issuing visas.

"We had to tighten up following problems of abuse with visas in China. Since then we have a policy, including certain checks such as that a businessman has to be a certified member of the Chamber of Commerce in his country. This has also been done with Libya and Tunisia, for example," Dr Frendo said.

The government was also seeking to facilitate exchanges with other emerging economies and not just China and India, he said.

The other strategic objectives drawn up by the Foreign Ministry include the importance of making a success of EU membership, strengthening Malta's relations with other countries, harnessing Malta's geopolitical relevance to maximise political and economic benefits and promoting respect of the international rule of law and human rights.

"We had to set our own agenda as a country and this is what these objectives are about. The next step will be to draw up action plans for each objectives with the participation of our ambassadors," Dr Frendo explained.