The Nationalist Party asked this morning what the prime minister's particular interest in Azerbaijan is, after the Sunday Times of Malta revealed yesterday that he will visit the country in the coming days - his second visit in four months.
The party noted that it was again the media which had revealed Dr Muscat's travel plans. It had resulted that Dr Muscat left Malta for Azerbaijan yesterday, without telling anyone.
Meanwhile, despite various questions, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi had not disclosed how many times he visited Azerbaijan, the PN said.
It recalled that Dr Mizzi had interfered in oil hedging and chosen state-owned Azerbi company Socar, leading to a loss of €14 million. As a result, motorists paid more for fuel.
The PN said Dr Muscat should disclose what his 'personal interest' in coming and going from Azerbaijan was.
The Sunday Times said Dr Muscat’s second visit to the former Soviet republic was announced by the Azeri press, which said the Maltese Prime Minister is expected to be in Baku on April 28 and 29 to attend the 3rd Global Shared Societies Forum.
The conference is organised by the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre and supported by the State Committee for Work with Diaspora. It is expected to be attended by other heads of government, including the President of Ukraine. Questions sent to the OPM on the visit remained unanswered at the time of writing.
Dr Muscat’s first visit to Azerbaijan took place last December, when he was accompanied by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi.
He held direct talks with the President of the Azerbaijan Republic, Ilham Aliyev, and a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation between the two countries was signed. Azeri oil state company Socar forms part of Electrogas, the private consortium responsible for building the new gas-fired power plant in Delimara. Socar is expected to supply Malta with its natural gas needs.
According to a report by the National Audit Office on oil hedging during 2014, Dr Mizzi had given ministerial direction to Enemalta to seek oil hedges from Socar. It later resulted that Enemalta had reached a €67 million hedging agreement with Socar for all the fuel supplies needed through the second half of 2014.
The Auditor General said that unlike in the case of all other hedges, his office had not been given enough documentation on this particular deal with the Azeri state oil company.
Admitting that he had recommended Socar, Dr Mizzi defended his actions as intended to secure a good price for fuel.
GOVERNMENT - NOTHING SECRET ABOUT PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT
In a reaction, the government said the prime minister's visit to Azerbaijan had been known for a month and was confirmed by Dr Muscat himself to Times of Malta. He will be one of the speakers at a conference along with the president of Bulgaria, the president of Macedonia, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other international personalities.
The OPM noted that French President Francois Hollande visited Azerbaijan last week.
But it seemed that for Dr Busuttil, the prime minister should hold off and not seek new investment for Malta, as other European countries were doing for themselves.
Dr Muscat is being accompanied in Azerbaijan by PBS.
PM MEETS ALIYEV
The DOI also announced that Dr Muscat this morning met Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.
They discussed how relations between the two countries may be broadened, with one potential sector being education.