Greek and Maltese foreign ministers pledge closer co-operation

Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg, and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, promised closer cooperation on a range of issues from migration to tourism following a short meeting on Monday. 

Trade, climate change and the political situation in Libya were also discussed, the two foreign ministers said in a brief statement to the media. 

On migration, Borg pushed the need to implement the Joint Valletta Action Plan. 

The seven-year-old agreement between European and African states, aims to control irregular migration by addressing the root causes of migration, opening legal migratory avenues, fighting human smuggling, and facilitating returns.

Migration through Mediterranean crossings and the co-operation of EU countries has become a bigger issue for Malta after Italy's new prime minster, Giorgia Meloni, promised to tighten the country’s borders. 

If a new Italian government delivers on its promise to crack down on irregular migration, Malta could see a surge in asylum seeker arrivals and have one less ally in the EU on migration, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has previously said. 

Malta’s search and rescue zone stretches far into the eastern Mediterranean close to Crete, a...