Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela held talks with the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Political and Economic Affairs, Adel bin Siraj Mirdad, on ways to further cooperation between Malta and Saudi Arabia.

“We have not yet reached our bilateral relationship’s potential,” Mr Abela said, identifying several possible areas such as tourism, trade, investment, transport, education and the environment.

The two ministers discussed the situations in Lib-ya, Qatar, Yemen and Syria, and Mr Abela expressed his concern regarding the det-eriorating economic and humanitarian situation in Syria, especially for children, who were missing out on education and who could become a “lost generation”.

Mr Abela reiterated Malta’s commitment to upholding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear agreement.

He added that it was important for Malta to bring people together to the table of dialogue and diplomacy.

Mr Mirdad was in Malta to co-chair the Malta-Saudi Arabia Joint Economic Commission, during which an MOU for scientific and educational cooperation was signed.