Foreign Minister Tonio Borg today opened a two-day meeting of the Malta-Tunisia Joint Commission and said there was room for more intense development in the implementation of an agreement for joint oil exploration in the waters between the two countries.

The commission meeting will focus on health, maritime transport, energy security and education.

Dr Borg said he was pleased to note that the mixed commission was serving as a practical conveyor of business between the two countries. He said that a private business delegation which had accompanied the commission to Malta presented an excellent opportunity to exploit market opportunities.

He also welcomed the planned setting up of a Maltese-Tunisian Business Council that will promote private business interests.

Dr Borg also spoke at the opening of a seminar on doing business with Tunisia, pointing out that trade exchanges between the two countries in four years had doubled, to €13 million. However he felt that such commercial relations were still below potential and should be further developed.

The minister said areas which could be developed jointly included the agro food industry, logistics, tourism and cruise liner activity, education and training, banking and other financial services, maritime activities aviation and aviation engineering, healthcare, electronics and information technology.