Malta and Turkey discussed ways to strengthen bilateral political and trade relations during talks in Valletta today between Foreign Minister Tonio Borg and Turkish State Minister Cemil Cicek.

Dr Borg said relations between the two countries were very good, but there were grounds for growth, particularly with regard to trade and investment.

He said the opening of a Maltese consulate in Istanbul last March was bearing fruit. To date some 1,400 visa applications had been processed, the majority having been submitted by Turkish students wishing to come to Malta to study English.

The consulate is promoting commercial and cultural cooperation and also facilitating the registration of Turkish-owned ships under the Maltese merchant flag. Turkey has some 176 gross tonnage registered in Malta which represent over 30% of Turkish-owned ships registered abroad.

The minister welcomed the opening of a Turkish embassy in Malta last October and said a solid base was now in place for relations to move forward.

EU MEMBERSHIP

Dr Borg said that Malta supports EU membership for Turkey, as long Turkey satisfies all the necessary criteria. "Malta adopts the Commission's view that there should be zero tolerance on issues of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, not only with regard to the legislative framework and its application but also with regard to the actual realities on the ground," he stressed.

"Furthermore, Malta acknowledges Turkey's reforms programme aimed at meeting the necessary criteria required for EU membership and believes that the progress in negotiations should be determined by the pace of reforms and changes in Turkey."

Dr Borg said membership of the EU by Turkey would strengthen the Mediterranean dimension within the EU.