Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Malta.

The UK and Malta share a historic relationship. The UK and Malta cooperate closely on foreign policy, military training, rule of law, regional security, irregular migration, climate change and consular services. The UK Government engages regularly with Malta at Ministerial level to progress this cooperation. In July 2024, the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Abela at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit. In October 2024, the Foreign Secretary met Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Dr Ian Borg at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and I spoke with him in discussions on a range of matters. Since then, my department has continued engaging with Malta at official level to progress cooperation in areas of mutual interest.