Trade between Malta, Australia to get boost

Australia was committed to improving trade with Malta and strengthening the bilateral ties it already had with the country, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said during a meeting with his Maltese counterpart, Tonio Borg.

Mr Smith is on a two-day visit to the island - the first to Malta by an Australian Foreign Minister since 1992. It follows the state visit to Australia in February by former President Eddie Fenech Adami and Dr Borg.

Mr Smith spoke of the "long-standing and strong relations" between the two countries, and mentioned the four patrol boats currently being built in Perth for the Armed Forces of Malta.

He said the Maltese community in Australia, amounting to some 400,000, was the largest outside Malta and they kept themselves busy with their involvement in sports, politics and business.

Dr Borg described the diplomatic relations between the two countries as excellent, adding that they were expected to improve further with the appointment of two honorary consuls for Brisbane and Gold Coast.

This morning, Mr Smith will be laying a wreath at Pietà Military Cemetery, which contains the highest number of Australian war graves in Malta.