Career

Having joined the Public Service and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 2000, Ms Camilleri Calleja was first assigned to the Protocol and Consular Directorate until October 2001 when she moved to cover Near Eastern and Africa Affairs Unit within the Bilateral Affairs Directorate.

During her first mission overseas, she served as Deputy Head of Mission and Consul at the Embassy of Malta in Stockholm, Sweden (2002-2025).

In 2005, she was offered the unique opportunity to be the first Maltese female diplomat to serve as Consul-General in Tripoli, Libya. Simultaneously, she formed part of Malta’s Schengen Evaluation team which led to the successful upgrade of the Consulate-General in line with Schengen specifications, leading to the assessment and accession of Malta to the Schengen Acquis. During her tenure in Libya, she also formed part of the team that opened a visa office in Benghazi.

In 2008, she returned to Malta to cover Mediterranean Regional Fora as Senior Official for Malta in the Union for the Mediterranean, as Malta’s Governor on the Board of Governors of the Anna Lindh Foundation, covering also the 5+5 Western Mediterranean Forum.

In 2011, she was seconded as Research Analyst with the Standing Committee for Foreign and European Affairs of the Parliament of Malta, representing Malta’s legislative arm on the COSAC (Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union), whilst also drafting reasoned opinions focused on the subsidiarity and proportionality principles within draft legislation proposed by the European Commission.

Returning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2013, Ambassador Camilleri Calleja took up the role of Counsellor and Head of Unit for Africa Affairs and the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. She was concurrently assigned for a 3-year term as Secretary of the Council for Maltese Living Abroad: a government-appointed body covering diaspora affairs under the chairmanship of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In 2014, Ms Camilleri Calleja was appointed Director (International Development, Economic Affairs and European Institutions) covering sustainable development, commercial issues, relations with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, Vienna) and the Council of Europe (Strasburg) as well as Cultural Diplomacy. Parallel to her directorship duties, she also headed the team preparing the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for the 2017 European Union Council Presidency. Her role included the alignment of policy, logistics, budgeting, human resources, as well as Presidency events in Malta, and events in Malta’s Missions overseas.

In 2017, she was appointed Director-General (Political and EU Affairs), coordinating inter alia the team that drafts Malta’s positions within the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, strategic foreign policy positions, and bilateral relations with the global community of nations. During her tenure, instrumental foreign policy decisions and operations were spearheaded concerning the Middle East Peace Process, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Adoptions of Children from foreign countries as well the conclusion of a number of agreements, political consultations and joint commissions with a number of countries.

On 23rd November 2020, Ambassador Camilleri Calleja presented her credentials as first resident Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to the United Arab Emirates, to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. She also presented her letter of appointment to IRENA Director- General Francesco La Camera as Malta’s first-ever Permanent Representative accredited to IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) headquartered in Abu Dhabi.

On 30th July 2026, Ambassador Camilleri Calleja took up her role as Ambassador of Malta to the State of Qatar.

Education

In 1999, Maria Camilleri Calleja graduated egregia cum laude (outstanding) from the University of Malta as Bachelor of Arts (B.A. Hons.) in Contemporary Mediterranean Studies. Dissertation: A study of the Foreign Policy Development of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

In 2000, she went on to graduate as a Master of Arts in Diplomatic Studies (M.Dip) from the Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies of the University of Malta.

Dissertation: Children in Armed Conflict: A comparative study for Algeria, Kosovo and the Middle East with a focus on the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

She also successfully followed a number of training courses both in her personal and professional capacity:

• 2001: École Nationale d’Administration (ENA), Paris: Pratiques Diplomatiques;
• 2010-11: Spanish Language offered by the Institute of Public Service;
• 2012: Subsidiarity and Proportionality Detection in EU Legislative Proposals proposed by the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament with the Academy of European Law (ERA), Trier, Germany;
• 2015: EU Council Presidency Preparation and Management at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), Maastricht; and
• 2019: International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) on Women, Peace and Security invited by the U.S. State Department, Washington D.C.

Personal

• Born on 22 March 1976.
• Speaks Maltese, English, Italian, French, Spanish, with a basic understanding of Arabic and Swedish.
• Extensively loves reading about all subjects and travelling to new countries.
• Considered an Arabist in both instruction and professional circles.
• Awarded the Gold Award by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1994.
• Believes in the values of integrity and character-building instilled through Scouting.
• Married and has two sons.