Malta: Foreign Relations

(asked on 17th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Maltese counterpart, including on the treatment of migrants.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 22nd March 2021

FCDO Ministers are in regular contact with our counterparts across Europe, including in Malta. We are aware of recent press reports about ill-treatment of migrants at detention centres in Malta. On 1 February the Maltese authorities stated that they have received no reports or complaints of ill-treatment and all incidents would be referred to the police. Officials from the British High Commission routinely raise the importance of ensuring the safety and security of irregular migrants with the Maltese authorities. The Foreign Secretary raised the issue of irregular migrants and their treatment with PM Abela in May 2020, and I raised it during the UK-Malta migration dialogue in July 2020. In December 2020, representatives from the UK, Malta, Italy and the United States joined international experts in a virtual conference organised by the British High Commission and Wilton Park about organised crime and migration in the Central Mediterranean. Among the conference outcomes were recommendations to improve international law enforcement efforts to prevent human trafficking and smuggling, increase numbers of prosecutions and ensure the safety and legal protection of victims.

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