Former Foreign Minister Alex Sceberras Trigona has presented his credentials as Malta's new Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva.

During a meeting with newly-appointed Director-General Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo, Dr Sceberras Trigona expressed his full support to the director-general's efforts to reinvigorate the multilateral trading system. He augured that the upcoming Ministerial Conference in Bali be a successful one.

Dr Sceberras Trigona suggested that Malta would, in the future, be willing to host a brainstorming retreat event relating to the WTO on the same lines of a recent meeting held in Corfu and hosted by the Greek government.

He touched upon the notion of ‘online diplomacy’ and how this could become instrumental in the course of the work of the WTO. He also raised the concept of ‘digital economy’ stressing that the WTO should engage in raising awareness towards it in the future.

Dr Sceberras Trigona was also received by the Head, EU Delegation, WTO in Geneva, Ambassador Angelos Pangratis, with whom he discussed issues relating to EU coordination within the WTO.

Dr Sceberras Trigona was Foreign Minister between 1981-87. He was appointed special envoy to the Prime Minister after the March general election.