Human rights groups have written an open letter to the Home Affairs Minister insisting there is no evidence that tackling statelessness led to abuse of the asylum system.

They were reacting to comments by Carmelo Abela that adopting the two UN conventions on statelessness might propel failed asylum seekers into applying for statelessness as a last resort, putting a strain on the system.

In their open letter, the Aditus Foundation and JRS Malta referred to France where, they pointed out, the procedure to determine statelessness was established many years ago. France consistently received about 200 applications per year, they said, highlighting the relativity of the figures.

The NGOs also illustrated the difference between a statelessness determination procedure and an asylum procedure.

In the first procedure, applicants would be required to willingly cooperate with Malta in terms of enquiries made with their country of origin or the country with which they have a potential nationality connection (such as through birth, descent or marriage).

This could result in Malta being able to confirm a nationality entitlement and to consequently return individuals to their countries of origin.