Only eight per cent of migrants have been relocated to other EU countries in the past 15 years, Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo told his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides on Friday.

The two met in Nicosia, Cyprus, where they discussed political and commercial ties between the two countries.

Bartolo told the Cypriot minister that Malta could understand Cyprus' challenges when it comes to territorial water issues with Turkey. 

Countries in similar situations should always try to reach a compromise, no matter how challenging the situation, he said.

Malta was currently facing migration challenges, he said, adding that through cooperation with the Libyan coast-guard, some 3,700 migrants had been stopped from making it to the island so far this year. 

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