Ian Borg and Miriam Dalli on Sunday met Libyan ministers for foreign affairs, the environment, oil and gas for discussions on renewable energy, migration and the need for democratic elections in the north African country.

In a statement on Monday, the government said for Foreign Affairs minister Borg the visit was a "solid demonstration" of Malta's will to continue consolidating and improving its relationship with Libya.

Energy minister Dalli meanwhile noted that the Maltese government was committed to exploring opportunities with Libya in the energy sector, particularly in renewables. 

In Easter 2020 the island was involved in a controversial operation to return people to Libya. It later emerged that a boat had picked them up in Maltese waters and returned them to Libya after being commissioned by Maltese authorities to provide ‘help’.

Then earlier this year, the Maltese government refused to say how many people were rescued in Maltese search-and-rescue waters, and how many were brought ashore or taken to Libya, despite being challenged in parliament four times in a month.