Abela held a bilateral meeting with President Kaid Saied and Prime Minister Najla Bouden during a trip to the North African country.

Abela noted that renewable energy is the future for North African neighbours, including Malta and Tunisia, wherein the two states have several opportunities for cooperation.

The Maltese Prime Minister also stated that Tunisia is a prominent partner in potential projects that would be of benefit to citizens of both states.

Meanwhile, Abela asserted that the Mediterranean region as a whole is facing challenges that need to be addressed holistically.

Subsequently, Abela has also held high-level meetings between the EU and Tunisia where discussions regarding the Comprehensive Partnership Package were held. This package is aimed at enhancing economic cooperation, energy cooperation, and immigration.

The EU has been seeking alternative energy sources to Russia from which it used to rely on for around 80% of its natural gas. At the moment, it is importing a lot of its Liquified Natural Gas from the United States, however, efforts to locate new sources are ensuing.

As a matter of fact, energy reserves found in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone are being explored as another potential source – this would be very beneficial for the EU due to Cyprus being a member state.

However, tensions with Turkey render this move risky since Ankara has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward international oil companies drilling in seas whose ownership it contests.

Nonetheless, increased cooperation with North Africa in the energy sector can be very beneficial for the EU; hence, Malta’s friendly relations with the region have proved to be important in an economically fragile time like this.

Moreover, with regards to immigration, Abela repeated that Malta advocated for peace and security in the Mediterranean region as means to ensure stability in Europe. This major challenge, which was highly exacerbated in Europe in 2015 and has only worsened, requires a global approach and cannot be tackled by a single country or region; Abela informed.

He urged for the roots of the immigration issue to be comprehensively addressed while also highlighting the important role Tunisia plays in overcoming related challenges.

Moreover, he ensured that international conferences on immigration will be held in the coming months; these will also address human trafficking through migration.

The immigration crisis surged in 2015 when an influx of Syrian refugees started fleeing the war-torn country to seek refuge on European shores. Since then, immigration has been an increasingly aggravating issue in the EU and Turkey – which have multiple agreements that have been criticised for not addressing the issue well enough.

The EU has been particularly criticised for placing the refugee burden on certain states, like Malta and Greece, by allowing others to avoid the responsibility due to geopolitical factors.

Moreover, the war with Ukraine, along with climate change, have only caused an additional strain to host countries by increasing the numbers asylum seekers across the world. Therefore, having a comprehensive and global approach to the issue is integral in order to minimise the damage.

Moreover, during their meetings, the leaders of both countries discussed ongoing work on agreements that will be signed in the future, particularly in the energy sector and youth-related matters. Regarding the latter, work is underway on a new agreement after one was signed 12 years ago.

Abela also mentioned water management and explained that Malta is sharing its expertise with other small states, including Tunisia, to improve water resource management.

The two Prime Ministers also discussed the desire for increased commercial cooperation between the two countries, including the opportunities for cooperation in the decarbonization of the maritime sector.

Other regional issues such as the conflict in Sudan, the situation in Syria, and that in the Middle East were also raised.

Abela was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ian Borg, Home Affairs Byron Camilleri, and Head of the Office of the Prime Minister Secretariat Glenn Micallef during his visit to Tunisia.

Ultimately, increased cooperation between Malta, the EU, and Tunisia can have positive implications on the aforementioned issue areas currently dominating the international sphere.

Do you think bilateral talks with Tunisia will produce fruitful results within the energy sector of Malta?