The Valletta Summit on Migration ran fairly smoothly, but it was not without its share of slip-ups, like when the Congo delegation was left stranded and security personnel called out: “Is the Congo one here?”

The delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo looked dazed and confused as they waited on the kerb outside the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on Wednesday as security personnel tried to get a driver behind the wheel of the specially assigned vehicles while shouting: “Hawn tal-Congo hawn?”

Other African delegates were equally dumbfounded as security men confused the delegation leader with one of his aides, escorting the wrong person to the specially purchased Volvo.

Earlier, journalists shuffled in ever-growing queues outside the summit venue, as scanning equipment would not read the identification tags distributed to the press.

At one point, the head of the Department of Information was called in to try and calm the situation, only to get into an argument with a plainclothes policeman.

The queues dissipated, momentarily, when the head of government communications arrived to escort reporters into the building himself. A Times of Malta journalist had just tweeted he would try and report on the summit if only he could get in.

The tweet must have even caught the eyes of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who was able to tell the journalist that he saw that he had got in after all. At the time Dr Muscat was walking past the journalists together with UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

While journalists strove to get into the building, the English language interpreter, who started translating Dr Muscat’s opening address, seemed ill-prepared and at times incoherent. In fact, he was replaced halfway through Dr Muscat’s speech and the audience was spared the stream of pondering “hmms”.

Outside the room where Dr Muscat met with Mr Cameron – nearly two hours late – MCC staff members were heard shouting at one another. Tucked into a supplies room next door, they argued over the extra pay they were owed for the week.

Meanwhile, drivers transporting delegates during the opening ceremony at Castille completely ignored a policewoman instructing them not to park in St Paul Street, lining up their cars by the pavement and forcing her to call her superior in a panic saying the situation was out of control.

Despite the odd disruption, however, the event went off smoothly and most slip-ups were seen as welcome comic relief from the political manoeuvring between European and African leaders.