Foreign Affairs Evarist Bartolo has reiterated Malta’s call for more EU support and aid to reach Libya, with a particular focus on healthcare and COVID-19 medical supplies.

In a statement on Friday evening, the ministry said the situation on Operation Irini remained "unresolved". 

Malta decided to freeze financing for the naval mission monitoring arms traffic into Libya, saying its position will not change until the migration crisis is addressed. 

Discussions on migration are taking place between Malta and a number of member states on the situation of the 160 migrants at sea and the matter is still not settled, the government said. 

"Malta also notes the increase of migrants coming through the Central Mediterranean route, which in April saw a further 300 per cent compared to the same month last year," the government said. 

Covid-19 challenges

Bartolo also that from that the collateral damage caused by COVID-19 on the region is "greater than the ravaging virus itself".  

"27 million people in Africa is being pushed into extreme poverty.  The effects in Africa will reach the Sahel and eventually the Maghreb as temporary workers in Africa are already losing their jobs," the government said. 

“My appeal for funding to assist Libya through the United Nations, as voiced at our last Foreign Affairs Council Meeting, is even more relevant today than last month, and the needs are much more acute.  Half of the most vulnerable person suffering from the Libyan crisis are women and children, and the other half are migrants”, Bartolo said.

He also spoke about the importance of supporting the United Nations to deliver the programme for humanitarian needs in Libya, noting that in spite of enormous challenges, the UN and humanitarian partners have continued to reach the most vulnerable people in Libya.

The foreign ministers also discussed the Middle East Peace Process, with Malta reiterating its position in support of the international rules-based approach in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions. It also reaffirmed its support to the Two-State Solution, and called for the re-commencement of negotiations for an interim Association Agreement with Palestine, in tandem with a fresh round of the EU-Israel Association Council.  

Bartolo said that the EU needs to talk more to our partners in the Middle East, "not about them".