The High Commissioner of New Zealand, Tara Morton, presented her Letters of Credence to President George Vella at the Presidential Palace, Valletta.
President Vella referred to the long-standing ties with New Zealand and its commitment to enhance political, social, and trade exchanges. There remains ample potential to promote business ties and increased trade flows especially in the fields of technology and ICT. From a regional perspective, Malta fully supports the strengthened relations between EU and New Zealand and is satisfied that a Free Trade Agreement was concluded in 2022. President Vella added that the two countries share the same goals in multilateral fora such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth, mentioning in particular climate change and regional security.
High Commissioner Morton underlined her appreciation to the support given by Malta to the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement stating that this would bring tangible benefits to both sides. She complimented Malta on the very onerous positions it has taken as non-elected Member at the UN Security Council as well as Chair-in-Office of the OSCE.
International developments were discussed with specific attention given to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
