President to visit Australia in the coming months
President George Abela should be visiting Australia in the coming months, he said this morning.
Speaking at the end of a seven-day convention for Maltese emigrants, Dr Abela said that thanks to dual citizenship a lot of emigrants continued to feel Maltese.
However, it was important for Maltese emigrants to fully integrate in the community they are living.
Initiatives such as that announced this week through which five scholarships were to be open to Maltese emigrants or descendants to follow courses at the University of Malta specialising in the Maltese language could help keep Maltese language and culture alive.
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said the concept of Maltese emigrants had changed to one of a greater Malta.
He promised that all the papers that were submitted during the conference would be scrutinised by a council that would be set up for Maltese communities living abroad.
This would see how to spread and keep alive Maltese language and culture within the communities.
Dr Borg said that when the citizenship reforms were implemented, many Maltese living abroad applied for dual citizenship creating a backlog which was being worked upon.
The minister promised to take up some of the proposals that were made during the convention and implement them before the next convention took place.
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Malcolm Azzopardi
Mar 20th 2010, 16:23
It is nice to read about the social inclusion of Maltese emigrants, as well as the proposed initiatives for them and their descendants.
Unfortunately not the same can be said for Maltese children who were born to Australian parents, after they were forced to renounce their Australian citizenship.
http://www.southern-cross-group.org/archives/Dual%20Citizenship/2007/Article_Times_of_Malta_s18_Children_20_August_2008.pdf
This was an election promise by the Australian Labor Party currently in government, and with a federal election round the corner, time may be running out.
I hope that this time round, Dr. Abela & Dr. Borg show the same enthusiasm on the proposed legislative change made to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Australia, as the deserved compassion shown to Australian citizens of Maltese descent.
Denis Catania
Mar 20th 2010, 14:29
Allowing all Maltese citizens abroad to vote in EU elections as per European laws.
Joe Fenech
Mar 21st 2010, 15:22
The Maltese abroad should be able to vote not only for the EU elections but also for the local ones. But the government does not want people who have developed themselves to contribute - these are a threat to his incompetence!
Alexander Azzopardi
Mar 20th 2010, 13:31
Buon Voyage , Hope you will enjoy your stay !!!
Mark Spiteri
Mar 20th 2010, 13:29
Would be good if the President scheduled a trip to Libya together with our Prime Minister.in the coming days to sort out the issue with "Maltese not being allowed to enter" , thanks to the Swiss.....After all our Foreign Minister was greeted by the Libyan Prime Minister AND Libyan Foreign Minister