Consultation talks were recently held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi with the principle aim of facilitating visa formalities for all Maltese citizens, particularly those residing in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ambassador Godwin Montanaro and HE Mohammed Abdul Rahim Mohammed Abduljalil, Assistant Under Secretary for International Cooperation, discussed visa facilitation at some length; and further discussions will be held in the early part of 2009 in pursuit of this objective.

Ambassador Montanaro also raised the issue of Maltese driving licences since these are not always recognised in UAE. It was agreed that both sides would exchange official notes on the matter, in anticipation of a satisfactory solution.

Meanwhile, a cooperation agreement between the government of Malta and the government of United Arab Emirates on the fight against the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and against organised crime was signed at ambassadorial level last week.

Malta’s Ambassador accredited to the United Arab Emirates, Godwin Montanaro, signed on behalf of Malta, and Ambassador, H.E. Alsari Saeed Ahmed Aldahari, signed on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

This agreement provides a framework for both countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation in crime related matters.

With effect from 21st January 2009, visitors to Malta from the Gulf region will be able to have visa applications to Malta processed by VFS GCC outstations. This is a renowned company which provides visa and related services and has offices located in Riyadh, Al Khobar, Dammam, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha and Muscat.

For this purpose, an greement was signed in Riyadh between Ambassador Godwin Montanaro, Malta’s resident Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, and Vice President of VFS, Mr. Mahesh Anchan.

According to the terms of the Agreement, VFS is also obliged to promote Malta and its attractions from its locations and to provide a dedicated website with information about Malta.