Malta and the Netherlands have agreed to further their cooperation on alternative energy and illegal immigration.

The two areas were discussed yesterday between Foreign Minister Michael Frendo and Frans Timmermans, the European Affairs Minister of the Netherlands who was on a visit to Malta.

Minister Frendo said Malta welcomed Europe's commitment to source 20 per cent of its energy needs from alternative energies because it would boost research and development which could produce technological advances that allowed Malta to better exploit wind and solar energy.

He accepted Minister Timmermans's invitation for Maltese energy experts to visit the Netherlands to explore how Malta could exploit developments in the renewable energy field.

The Foreign Minister referred to the conference being held in Malta on February 11 and 12 which will bring together foreign ministers of the EU and the Arab League to discuss issues such as climate change, energy security, inter-cultural dialogue and reform.

The Dutch minister told Dr Frendo that his country is very interested in the meeting.

Dr Frendo thanked The Netherlands for its early support in the form of the resettlement of refugees. He also referred to the Maltese proposal for burden sharing particularly with regard to persons saved from the search and rescue area of a neighbouring non-EU state.

The two ministers agreed on the importance of a European Common Asylum policy, the government said.