Malta has agreed to start issuing Schengen visas from its Tripoli embassy as well as direct flights to Libya and European capitals.

The announcement came after a meeting was held in Tripoli on Monday between Ahmed Maetig, Presidency Council Deputy, and Clyde Caruana, Maltese Minister of Finance and Labour.

The Tripoli Libyan government reported that the meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s Office, focused on reviewing relations between the two countries and the possibility of developing cooperation in the field of investment and development, agreeing to start granting European visas to Libyan citizens at the end of next January, and working on opening an air route between Valletta and Tripoli, Benghazi, Misurata “directly to a number of European capitals.

For his part, the Minister of Interior of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fathi Bashagha, on Monday, discussed with the Maltese Minister of Finance, Clyde Caruana, the possible security arrangements to permit the restart of scheduled air travel between the two countries in the near future.

The Information Office of the Ministry of Interior stated that during the meeting, hopes for joint cooperation between both countries were discussed, along with a number of security matters in relation to combating organized crime and money laundering, and the appropriate manner to develop skills to deal with such matters through training programs for members of the Ministry of Interior.