The Valletta Summit on Migration, between the EU states and key African partners, will serve as an opportunity to address the challenges of migration flows into Europe with important African countries of origin and transit, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said yesterday.

Addressing the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which the Inter-Parliamentary Union is organising at the UN Headquarters in New York, Dr Farrugia said Malta firmly believed that the challenges of irregular migration in the Mediterranean could only be addressed holistically by affording protection to the vulnerable but also by working with partner countries in Africa to stem the flow of irregular migrants.

The Valletta summit is being held in Malta in November.

Dr Farrugia also referred to climate change and urged “national governments worldwide to collaborate and coordinate concerted efforts towards overcoming the challenges posed by climate change”.

He spoke on religious freedom, saying that democracy could not be placed at the service of peace unless religious freedom was respected.

“We live in a free society where all beliefs are equal. We should love and respect each other irrespective of religious belief; without this love and tolerance we cannot build the world the people want."

The Maltese Parliamentary delegation in New York is composed of Censu Galea, Deborah Schembri, David Agius and Deo Debattista.

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