A Libyan delegation is meeting senior Armed Forces of Malta officers these two days for further ongoing talks on Search-and-Rescue (SAR) co-operation between the two countries. 
The Libyan eight-man delegation is headed by Engineer Mohammed Ahmed Rashid, General Manager of Tripoli Port, accompanied by other engineers from the Libyan maritime authorities and military officers of the Libyan coast guard.
The aim of the talks is to bring about an agreement on SAR co-operation in a number of operational and training fields.
AFM spokesperson Major Ivan Consiglio said that much headway had been made in the last eleven months.
AFM commander Carmel Vassallo augured that Libya would take up the offer to train their personnel in Malta on various aspects of SAR mission-planning and co-ordination, “considering the excellent spirit of goodwill, friendship and co-operation our country has with our Libyan neighbours, who have been very receptive to such offers.”
Also present for these talks is the Libyan ambassador to Malta, Saad El Shlmani, who thanked the AFM senior officers for their hospitality and commented on the broader prospects of the mutual interests shared between the two countries as not being limited to just SAR, but would also include marine pollution and border management issues.
He also said that Libya stands to benefit greatly from Malta’s experience in the conduct and co-ordination of SAR-missions in the Mediterranean Sea.
During these talks with the AFM, the Libyan delegation is also expected to visit the REMPEC centre at Manuel Island and the Malta Freeport in Bizebbugia.  Colonel Emanuel Mallia, HQ AFM’s staff officer operations, is heading the talks from the Maltese side.