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Foreign minister gracious to Qatar Emir for air ambulance gesture
George Vella thanks Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani for having provided him with an air ambulance to escort him to Malta from Beijing after he had fallen ill in the Chinese capital
10 August 2015, 1:34pm
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
George Vella phones Qatar's foreign minister during a meeting with the Qatari ambassador to Malta
Foreign minister George Vella has thanked the Emir of Qatar for his “noble gesture” in providing him with free air transport and medical assistance.
On 28 July, Vella was taken ill during a state visit to Beijing and had to have an urgent cardiac intervention. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, provided the minister with an air ambulance to bring him back to Malta from China.
In a press statement, Vella said that he expressed his gratitude to the Emir and his family during a meeting with Qatar’s ambassador to Malta, Ali Saad A. Al-Kharji. During the meeting, Vella also phoned Qatari foreign minister Khalid Mohammed Al-Attiyah to personally thank him for the medical assistance. Al-Attiyah wished the Maltese minister a speedy recovery and promised him that they will meet up soon.
