Malta has established diplomatic ties with the equatorial microstate São Tomé and Príncipe.

The African island nation was one of the very few countries Malta had no official diplomatic relations with, but that changed on Tuesday when a protocol agreement was signed between Foreign Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela and his counterpart from São Tomé and Príncipe, Urbino Botelho.   

Singed on the fringes of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, minister Abela said the diplomatic agreement followed Malta’s increased interest in Africa.

Prior to the signature ceremony, a bilateral meeting was held in which the two ministers discussed Malta’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council between 2023-24.

In New York, the minister also attended an informal meeting of the European Union Foreign Ministers, chaired by the Union’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, with Libya and Syria on the agenda.

Reaffirming their full support to the UN Special Envoys, European leaders stressed the need for a revitalised political process in both countries in a bid to restore stability and security in the Mediterranean region.

Malta and São Tomé and Príncipe have now established diplomatic relations. Photo: Shutterstock