On Thursday 21^st January 2016, the new Ambassador of Malta to the Hellenic Republic, H.E. Mr. Joseph Cuschieri, presented his credentials to H.E. the President of Greece, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos. The ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ionnais Amanatidis, and the Secretary General of the Office of the President, Dimitrios Paraskevopoulos.

At a private meeting after the ceremony, the President of the Hellenic Republic congratulated Ambassador Cuschieri on his appointment. Discussed at this meeting were the bilateral relations between Malta and Greece, since this year happens to be the 50^th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Discussions centred on the problem of refugees and irregular migrants as well as the current economic situation in Greece.

Other issues discussed included the strengthening of co-operation and bilateral support by the two countries in the international fora as well as common interest on Mediterranean issues.

At the meeting discussion also centred on the need to further strengthen relations in the fields of commerce, maritime affairs, tourism and culture. The President of the Hellenic Republic said that Malta can count on the help and experience of the Greek Government during Malta’s turn as Presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2017.