Australian minister arrives tomorrow

The Australian Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith will be in Malta tomorrow and on Tuesday.

This is the first visit to Malta by an Australian Foreign Minister since 1992.

Mr Smith’s visit follows the State Visit to Australia in February this year by President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami and Foreign Minister Tonio Borg.

Mr Smith will be discussing foreign policy interests and cooperation, including Australia-EU relations. Australia and Malta share a commitment to multilateralism and worked together cooperatively as members of the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

On Tuesday between 8.50 and 9.20 a.m., he will be laying of a wreath at Pietà Military Cemetery, which contains the highest number of Australian war graves in Malta. Members of the Maltese Australian community may attend.

After laying the wreath and paying homage, the Foreign Minister will mingle informally with those present.

The Australian High Commission said that Australia's bilateral relationship with Malta was underpinned by strong community ties. The Maltese community in Australia was the largest outside Malta, with approximately 153,000 people claiming Maltese ancestry.