Foreign Minister George Vella today met Julieta Van Noes, the deputy assistant secretary of state of the United States of America, who is in Malta.
The two sides discussed ways to increase bilateral cooperation as well as cooperation in multilateral fora to address current crises and challenges on the global scene such as ISIS, ebola, and developments in Libya and Ukraine.
During the meeting, Dr Vella reiterated Malta’s stand in continuing to pledge political and moral support for international efforts aimed at containing the threat from radicalised movements and terrorist groups.
While acknowledging the seriousness of developments in other regions, Dr Vella reiterated the importance of keeping developments in the Mediterranean at the fore of the international agenda.
On her part, deputy assistant secretary Noes welcomed Malta’s role in regional affairs and expressed the US government’s appreciation for accepting to temporarily host US Diplomats accredited to Libya.
Discussions also focussed on the difficult situation concerning illegal migration in Malta.
Dr Vella thanked the US government for its solidarity through its resettlement programme.