Malta is planning to open a consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, the government said on Wednesday.

The plans are being spearheaded by the permanent secretary for foreign affairs Christopher Cutajar, who led a delegation tasked with laying the groundwork for the plans to Libya. 

Benghazi is located on the eastern side of Libya. Malta has an embassy in the country's capital, Tripoli, which was closed as conflict tore through the north African country. 

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced last month that plans were under way to reopen the embassy soon.  
 
The delegation led by Cutajar visited both Tripoli and Benghazi, the government said.

It met with leading figures in Benghazi including its mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, and the general board coordinating privatisation and investment in the city.

A visit was also made to the port of Benghazi where the delegation spoke to both the port management and the port authority. 

Cooperation in the maritime field, reconstruction of buildings and collapsed bridges, the development of technology related to industry and investment in waste separation and renewable energy, were discussed during the meetings.

Cutajar said that while the effect that the conflicts had on Benghazi over the last decade is huge, the people had the required resolve to see the city rebuilt and its economic activity grow.
 
The delegation also met with the bishop of Tripoli, Mgr George Bugeja, as well as the Apostolic administrator in Benghazi, Fr Sandro Overend.

Cutajar presented Bugeja with two candles given him by the relatives of the late Sancto Micallef and Emanuel Mifsud, who died tragically in an aircraft explosion in mid-air in December 1992.

The two men were on a flight between Benghazi and Tripoli. The circumstances of the explosion are still unknown but it is not excluded that the two men, along with all the other passengers, fell victim to an infamous plot, the government said.
 
Meetings were also held with senior officials from several ministries. Ambassador Charles Saliba facilitated these meetings and accompanied the delegation.