Agreement signed for the setting up of a Commonwealth small states centre of excellence

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Maltese government the Commonwealth on the setting up of the Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence in Malta.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella and Commonwealth secretary general Patricia Scotland.

Vella, who is in New York, also chaired the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministers for Foreign Affairs, as Malta currently holds the chair-in-office.

Discussions were also held discussing the various aspects of Malta’s relationship with the organisation were raised as well as Malta’s role as Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth until 2017.

As his engagements in New York continue, Vella took part in a ministerial meeting on Libya that saw an exchange of views with other Ministers, including Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry, over the situation in the country.