Joint oil agreement with Tunisia

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has ended an official visit in Tunisia that led to a joint agreement on oil exploration and exploitation in zones between the two countries.

Dr Frendo described the agreement as "a major breakthrough in an issue that has been in deadlock for the past 35 years", saying he was confident that "taken forward, it will open up tremendous opportunities for oil exploration and exploitation between Malta and Tunisia".

The agreement was clinched on Monday morning, following intense negotiations which led Minister Frendo to extend his stay in Tunisia by a day and forfeit participation in the European Union Foreign Ministers' Council in Brussels.

Dr Frendo expressed his gratitude to Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali for his personal commitment and friendship. President Ben Ali received Foreign Minister Frendo at the Presidential Palace in Carthage last Friday week for an 80-minute meeting, in the presence of Tunisian Foreign Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah.

"This agreement, dealing with such sensitive issues as oil exploration and exploitation in the continental shelf, is yet another example of the depth and closeness of the relations and friendship between Malta and Tunisia," Dr Frendo added. "We are both sincerely committed to fully developing a multi-level relationship between our countries and our two peoples. I look forward to working to develop our multilevel relationship."

The agreement states that a joint group of experts will be appointed within a time limit of 15 days; they will report their conclusions to their respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs within three months from the group's establishment.

Action plans for implementing strategic objectives

In Tunisia, Minister Frendo chaired a regional meeting of Malta's ambassadors in North African countries, namely Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. The meeting focused on the action plans required for our embassies in Tripoli, Tunis and Cairo, as well as the region as a whole, to implement the strategic objectives of Malta's foreign policy.

Minister Frendo said that action plans should be structured on three pillars: political, social and economic. The meeting identified areas of focus for every embassy, as well as areas where these embassies can work together to implement the strategic objectives.

Visit to the Bortex factory in Tunisia

The Maltese delegation, led by Minister Frendo, visited the Bortex factory in Ezzahra, about 20 km from Tunis. The Bortex plant employs some 500 people, mainly Tunisians, and is a vital component of the Bortex company structure.

The delegation was given a tour of the factory by plant manager Angelo Magro, who explained that Bortex manufactures garments, mainly men's suits, for several leading international designers.

Central Mediterranean Economic Forum

Dr Michael Frendo launched the concept of a Central Mediterranean Economic Forum (C-MEF) during a public lecture at the Institute of the Diplomatic Studies in Tunisia.

The project concept was also discussed during official talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah. Dr Frendo also raised this idea with Libya and Italy in separate meetings held recently with the Libyan Minister for International Co-operation, Muhammed Siala, and Italy's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giuseppe Drago. A non-paper on the project is to be circulated by Malta in the next few weeks.

Dr Frendo explained that a Central Mediterranean Economic Forum could concentrate on the proximity of the four markets, which, if only Sicily is considered within Italy, would be a market of over 22 million people in a very limited radius.

He said that the forum could build on the competitive advantages of each country and see how these advantages, for example Malta's leading role in financial services, could be used as catalysts for economic growth in all the countries of C-MEF.

"We are clearly and unequivocally not seeking to compete with other Mediterranean fora, such as the 5+5, Med Forum and Euro-Med. Malta remains committed to all these fora. C-MEF must be driven by business, trade and commerce issues, and civil society must have a leading role," Dr Frendo explained.

Dr Frendo's lecture, entitled 'Malta in the Mediterranean of tomorrow: perspectives and strategies', touched on several issues relating to the Mediterranean reality, in particular, the central Mediterranean area. Referring specifically to the issue of illegal immigration, Dr Frendo said that central Mediterranean countries must not allow their area to become a soft target for the international criminal organisations who exploit individuals for illegal human trafficking from Africa to Europe.

"This type of human behaviour must be addressed and there is no single country that can handle this problem on its own," Dr Frendo said.

Multi-level relations with Tunisia

The Maltese delegation included several business people representing many companies from the 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 with Tunisian entrepreneurs, with the help of Malta's Embassy in Tunis and the Economic and Cultural Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta.

Many business people registered significant contacts and contracts with Tunisian firms.

Sixth session of Maltese Tunisian Mixed Commission

Malta and Tunisia have agreed to further co-operation in commercial exchanges and investment partnerships, maritime and air transport, agriculture, health, communication technology, inter-regional 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 setting up of the Malta Tunisia Business Council are expected to be signed in the near future. Other agreements of bilateral co-operation, currently under consideration, relate to the judicial field, as well as co-operation in the handicrafts sector.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the number of technical meetings held in recent months after the visit of President Ben Ali to Malta last June, particularly in the fields of tourism, agriculture and fisheries.

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

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

Minister Frendo was co-chairing the sixth session of the Mixed Commission with Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah.

Throughout the official visit and negotiations, Minister Michael Frendo was assisted by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Cecilia Attard Pirotta, Malta's Ambassador in Tunisia, Dr Tanya Vella, Mr Chris Scicluna and Mr Mark Vassallo from the minister's private secretariat, and Mr Simon Pullicino from the Malta Embassy in Tunis.