Newly-appointed Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela this morning spoke of the government’s recalibration of the Foreign Ministry to focus on trade promotion.

Addressing a two-day meeting of ambassadors, Mr Abela said the prime minister’s choice to add trade promotion to the Foreign Minister’s portfolio mirrored the government’s efforts to attract further foreign investment.

He said the ministry’s resources would be restructured and bolstered to reflect the government’s efforts in this field.

The government sought new ways of developing existing markets as well as opening up new ones.

He told ambassadors that they would find an excellent partner in Trade Malta to do this.

Trade Malta was set up in 2015 in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce. It is tasked with promoting both incoming and outgoing trade.

On migration, Mr Abela appealed to ambassadors to be familiar with the government’s position and red lines.

He implored them to remember that at the end of the day, migration was no just about numbers, but human lives.