Malta has agreed to start issuing Schengen visas from its Tripoli embassy as well as direct flights to Libya and European capitals.
The announcement came after a meeting was held in Tripoli yesterday between Ahmed Maetig, Presidency Council Deputy, and Clyde Caruana, Maltese Minister of Finance and Labour.
discussed developing cooperation in the field of investment and development
The Tripoli Libyan government reported that the meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s Office, focused on reviewing relations between the two countries and the possibility of developing cooperation in the field of investment and development, agreeing to start granting European visas to Libyan citizens at the end of next January, and working on opening an air route between Valletta and Tripoli, Benghazi, Misurata “directly to a number of European capitals.
The meeting, which was held at the Prime Minister’s Office, focused on reviewing the relations between the two friendly countries and the possibility of developing cooperation in the field of investment and development, agreeing to start granting European visas to Libyan citizens at the end of next January, and working on opening an air route between Valletta and Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata ‘‘directly to a number of European capitals’’.
Direct flights from Libya, by Libyan registered aircraft into European airspace are still under an EU embargo. The reference to direct flights into European capitals may be referring to the fact that Libya wants to technically circumnavigate this EU embargo by registering some of its aircraft in Malta. This would technically make them Maltese aircraft.
Libya and Malta, it will be recalled, had signed a Transport MoU on 28 October, which paves the way for this agreement. The MoU had specifically mentioned the re-registration of Libyan aircraft in Malta.
