The flagship of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force fighter jets will be deployed to beef up security in Malta during this week's Valletta summit and CHOGM at the end of the month.

The Royal Navy's participation will include the amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark, which can deploy helicopters and commandos, and the frigate HMS Somerset.

RAF fighters are expected to be based in Sicily. 

The Foreign Ministry announced a few weeks ago that Britain will assist Malta in security arrangements for the summit meetings.

An RAF Typhoon. Four Typhoons were in Malta earlier this month.An RAF Typhoon. Four Typhoons were in Malta earlier this month.

In an interview with this newspaper today, Joseph Muscat says:
“Malta will still be in charge of the security operations but we lack certain military assets in areas like aviation. These will be on standby to safeguard Malta’s interests if need be.

"I consider this agreement as a form of insurance policy even if there is no imminent threat.”
 
Bulwark, which is the flagship of the Royal Navy, is expected to berth at Grand Harbour for some time while HMS Somerset, a frigate which will be in international waters surrounding Malta.

The Valletta Summit, on Wednesday and Thursday, will bring together 28 heads of government from the EU and African countries to discuss migration.

CHOGM will group the Queen and the heads of government of of the Commonwealth.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.