Director General Political
Ms Helga Mizzi
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Palazzo Parisio,
Valletta - VLT 1171
Tel: (+356) 2204 2230 / (+356) 21 245 705
Fax: (+356) 21 240 210
Director External Relations and Mediterranean Affairs
Vacant
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Palazzo Parisio,
Valletta - VLT 1171
Tel: (+356) 2204 2329
Director Multilateral and Global Issues
Ms Christine Pace
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Palazzo Parisio,
Valletta - VLT 1171
Tel: (+356) 2204 2286
Fax: (+356) 21 240 210
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Directorate General Political
The Directorate General focuses efforts on ensuring that Malta’s foreign policy objectives on bilateral (non-European countries), regional and global issues are pursued, not least through active participation in the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). These efforts include the preparation of positions for interventions at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC), the relevant Council structures, including working group meetings. The DG is sub-divided into two Directorates, one dealing with Global Issues and the other with External Relations and Mediterranean Affairs.
Global Issues Directorate
A main task of the Global Issues Directorate includes that of enhancing relations with international organizations, such as the United Nations and its agencies, the Commonwealth, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Organization for Migration, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, etc.
Particular attention is also devoted to addressing the international aspects of irregular immigration, with the Directorate actively involved in pursuing Malta’s national interest and ensuring that this issue remains firmly on the agenda of the European Union and other international entities.
Overseas Development Aid is also a major area of focus for the Global Issues Directorate in the light of Malta’s responsibility to assist less developed countries. Within the Commonwealth, Malta as an active member, gives its contribution to enhance development and good governance in the member countries and strives to ensure that the Commonwealth is in a position to implement its policies and programmes.
External Relations and Mediterranean Affairs Directorate
Malta’s relations with non-European countries and its position on a number of international political issues are co-ordinated by the External Relations and Mediterranean Affairs Directorate. Such positions are also expressed, where appropriate, at the EU level within the relevant Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) structures.
In the regional context, active participation in the Euro-Mediterranean Process, now transformed into the Union for the Mediterranean incorporating the participation of all littoral Mediterranean States, and designed to serve as an engine for the implementation of practical projects, remains a top priority. Malta’s involvement in other regional fora and initiatives of direct relevance to the Mediterranean region, namely the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Western Mediterranean (5+5) Dialogue and the Med Forum are likewise co-ordinated by the Directorate.
In consonance with the Ministry’s strategic objective of strengthening bilateral relations, particularly with neighbouring countries, the Directorate continues to actively nurture Malta’s external relations on a bilateral level while ensuring focus on matters of direct interest. The Directorate focuses largely on Malta’s relations with its immediate neighbours, in particular Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria and others further afield such as the United States, Russia and China with whom Malta has traditionally always enjoyed very good relations.
Malta’s initiative to establish a political dialogue with enhanced visibility between the EU and the League of Arab States has been strongly promoted within the EU and the LAS structures. The initiative culminated in the EU-AL Ministerial Meeting held in Malta on 11-12 February and resulted in the ‘Malta Communiqué’ which underscored the importance that both the EU and Arab governments attach to strengthened dialogue. Foreign Ministers convening in Malta discussed issues of a global nature such as climate change, energy security, the situation in the Middle East region and dialogue between cultures.
Finally, the Directorate is also responsible to closely monitor developments in the long-standing Middle East conflict and contribute to the formulation of specific policy stances through effective participation in the pertinent EU and UN structures.
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