Frendo meets Tunisian President

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo had an intensive 80-minute meeting with Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at the Presidential Palace in Carthage on Friday.

Discussions focused on bilateral relations and current issues, including international affairs.

After the meeting, Dr Frendo told the Tunisian media that "Malta is committed to the implementation of new projects in conjunction with Tunisia, both at public and private sector level".

He said the meeting was a further demonstration of the high esteem and the importance that the Tunisian President gave to Malta-Tunisia relations.

Dr Frendo was accompanied by Malta's Ambassador to Tunisia, Dr Tanya Vella.

Earlier, Dr Frendo led a strong business delegation from the Maltese private sector for talks with their Tunisian counterparts. The Maltese business delegation was very well received by the Tunisian Export Promotion Agency (CEPEX), which organised a business forum and one-to-one talks between Maltese and Tunisian entrepreneurs, with the help of the Maltese Embassy in Tunis and the Economic and Cultural Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The initial contacts made offer great potential for doing business in Tunisia. We have found a situation where business can work in both directions. The Tunisian private sector is keen to develop genuine business relations with Maltese enterprises," Cyberpass Ltd director Anthony Farrugia said.

"All members of the business delegation are very upbeat and satisfied with this very positive initiative. We registered some important contacts, which will be followed up in the near future, probably leading to tangible results," Pierre Balzan, director of Melita Marine Ltd, added.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the embassy in Tunisia and the Economic and Cultural Affairs Department, have offered us an excellent opportunity to meet with counterparts specifically in our areas of interest. Many business contacts have been made, doors have been opened... now it is up to us to make it happen," said Charles Attard, finance consultant at Juanafil Consultants Ltd.

APCO Limited director Ian Pellicano said: "Being part of a ministerial delegation gave us the opportunity to meet with ministers responsible for our area of interest. The meeting we had with the Minister for Communication Technologies was particularly positive. The technology available here is of a high standard and there is a lot of room for us to work with Tunisian partners."

"This was indeed a very successful event, an invaluable opportunity to meet new, important contacts and to find answers to our questions. The ball is now in our court: it is up to us to capitalise on the contacts we established," David Falzon, managing director of Netcom network solutions, said.

Meanwhile, there was a positive outcome from the sixth session of Maltese Tunisian Mixed Commission meeting. Malta and Tunisia have agreed to further co-operate in commercial exchanges and investment partnerships, maritime and air transport, agriculture, health, communication technology, interregional co-operation, tourism, environment, culture, higher education and scientific research, youth and sport, promotion of women in the family, and consular co-operation.

Bilateral agreements on co-operation in health and the establishment of the Malta Tunisia Business Council are expected to be signed soon. Other agreements of bilateral co-operation, currently being considered, relate to the judicial field, as well as co-operation in the handicrafts sector.

The two sides expressed their satisfaction at the number of technical meetings held recently after President Ben Ali's visit to Malta last June, particularly in the fields of tourism, agriculture and fisheries.

Addressing the members of the Mixed Commission during the closing session, Dr Frendo referred to the Treaty on Friendship, Good Neigh-bourly Relations and Co-operation, signed by both countries last year, and formally deposited Malta's ratification instrument at the meeting.

Dr Frendo said that both Malta and Tunisia have very important roles to play in the Barcelona process, reaffirming Malta's suggestion to introduce a financial instrument to take the process from a political level to projects on the ground.

He said that political consultations are extremely important for fostering closer relations between neighbouring countries: Malta remains committed to further develop and diversify relations with Tunisia in the context of existing agreements between the two countries.

Minister Frendo co-chaired the sixth session of the Mixed Commission with his Tunisian counterpart Abdelwaheb Abdallah.