Prime Minister Joseph Muscat hailed tenor Joseph Calleja as a “symbol of national unity”.

He always raises the Maltese flag wherever he goes

Greeting him as “the man whose birthday I can’t forget” – the two celebrate their respective birthdays on January 22 – Dr Muscat thanked Mr Calleja for his work as Malta’s cultural ambassador.

“He always raises the Maltese flag wherever he goes ... what he does is for his own prestige but he always wears his heart on his sleeve,” he said.

Mr Calleja never missed an opportunity to promote Malta in “the best way possible”, Dr Muscat said.

On Tuesday Mr Calleja was singing the islands’ praises to a German film crew from Deutsche Welle, which broadcasts programmes to 200 million households for the lifestyle show Euromaxx.

The series, titled Euro 28, marks the show’s 10 years on the air and the crew is shooting one episode in the capital of every EU country, as well as accession state Croatia.

Mr Calleja took the crew around the favourite spots in Valletta, from the Upper Barrakka Gardens to Auberge de Castille, the Manoel Theatre and St John’s Co-Cathedral, ending the day at one of his favourite wine bars, Trabuxu.

Mr Calleja told Dr Muscat that he had just returned from Chicago where he received rave reviews for playing Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Chicago opera house.

Dr Muscat said he knew because he saw it on Twitter.

The Prime Minister informed Mr Calleja he would be attending one of his concerts in France during a visit which will see him meet French President François Hollande.

Mr Calleja will be performing at the Cathedral of Saint Louis des Invalides, one of the most beautiful landmarks in Paris for an exclusive concert being organised by the Maltese Embassy on April 23.

“This is a very prestigious event for me, made all the more special because I will be singing the national anthems of both Malta and France,” he said.