Malta should invest more heavily in diplomatic studies and training, especially considering that diplomacy and bilateral negotiation were no longer limited solely to people who worked in embassies, Foreign Affairs shadow minister Roberta Metsola said today.

Dr Metsola was speaking during a visit to the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies at the University.

Commenting on recent events in Libya, she underlined that the EU must put Libya at the forefront of its agenda before the situation deteriorated further.

Dr Metsola visited the academy together with Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Tonio Fenech.  They were welcomed by MEDAC director Stephen Calleya.

Mr Fenech highlighted the risks of instability in the Mediterranean and the need for Malta to take a more active role in international diplomacy as a means of bringing the necessary focus of international partners to this region.

He hoped the Geneva talks on Libya would register some progress and expressed concern that large parts of the Libyan territory had become stateless and were turning into a breeding space for terrorist activities, including the emergence of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.