The four-year absence of a Maltese embassy in Libya had soured public sentiment in the country towards Malta and overcoming hostility must be a priority, Malta’s future ambassador to Libya told MPs on Wednesday.

Carmelo Saliba was one of four nominees approved for ambassadorial posts during a Public Appointments Committee session held on Wednesday morning, with Frank Zammit, Frank Galea and Michael Bugeja also approved for the respective roles of non-resident Ambassador to Vatican City, Argentina and Chile, and Panama and Colombia.

Mr Saliba, who will serve as a resident Ambassador in Libya, told the committee of the various difficulties he envisaged in the country.

Malta’s embassy had been shuttered for four years, with an intermittent electricity supply and no current staff. The lack of a Maltese representative in Libya had not gone unnoticed by many in the civil service and amongst the general population, he said, and public sentiment towards Malta had been soured as a result of this perceived “abandonment.”

Mr Saliba said that overcoming this hostile public sentiment was a priority, adding that he was unable to accomplish this task alone and would require support from Malta’s government and Opposition, and from those with business interests in the area.

He reiterated that Libya’s present situation was not sustainable, not least because of the problems that its unsecured borders were posing for Europe with respect to immigration.

Before the embassy could be reopened, he added, it was important to study the country’s situation well, as many companies would take the reopening of the embassy as a sign to resume operations in Libya. He identified criminality arising from the collapse of the rule of law and the lack of financial liquidity as two obstacles standing in the way of commercial activity.

The Opposition asked Dr Buhagiar about how he would be addressing diplomatic issues with Panama which had arisen following the publication of the Panama Papers. Opposition MP Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said that the new ambassador would have to respond to the fallout of the illicit doings of various people involved in Maltese politics.

Although the Opposition would be giving its assent, he said, the government could have opted for a candidate with more financial knowledge, considering the particular diplomatic issues that pertained to Panama.