The Maltese Embassy in Tripoli is processing visa applications for Libyans wanting to travel to Italy because the Italian Embassy was burnt down during the conflict.

Rome asked Malta to take over the handling of applications until the Italian Embassy is up and running again, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said. Although the Maltese Embassy was never closed during the conflict, the process to issue visas had been temporarily moved to Tunisia.

The Maltese consulate, which opened in July, would be in a position to start processing visa applications too, the spokesman confirmed, adding that Malta’s new Ambassador to Libya, Victor Camilleri, was expected to commence his mission in Tripoli “very soon”.

The former Ambassador to Libya, George Cassar, has been earmarked to serve in Egypt. The ministry spokesman said Dr Cassar would assume his new office next year and would be based in Cairo.

Egypt, one of the countries that witnessed a revolution earlier this year, is the largest African country with a population that exceeds 80 million people.

Dr Cassar will take over from Giovanni Miceli who was ambassador there for the past four years.

Dr Cassar served in Libya for two years and returned to Malta in the final phase of evacuation of Maltese citizens from Libya last February.