Malta will return two Mirage fighter jets to Libya soon, after they were flown to the island by defecting pilots in February.
The Arab News newspaper reported Foreign Minister Tonio Borg saying the fighters would be returned to Libya 'soon' when he was questioned during a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The fighters were flown to Malta when their pilots refused to bomb compatriots in Benghazi early in the Libyan uprising. They returned to Libya shortly after Tripoli was liberated while their fighters remain immobilised at Malta airport.
Dr Borg in his press conference said he was calling on the Arab League and the European Union to strengthen the process of dialogue within the framework of the Malta-based EU-Arab League liaison office.
He said that in his talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal he discussed the need for such Arab League-EU collaboration at great length.
Europe and the Arab world had yet to establish an effective, permanent forum for political and economic dialogue, despite multiple attempts to do so.
“The liaison office can play a more effective role following the recent developments in the Middle East and this office can eventually become the focal point for dialogue and regional summits,” Dr Borg said.
The talks also included bilateral, regional and international issues including Libya and Tunisia.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia Dr Borg signed a cooperation agreement on the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime and a treaty on the avoidance of double taxation.
15 companies currently registered with the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) have Saudi shareholding.