Born in 1975, in Fleur-de-lys, Malta, Mr Franklin Aquilina received his education at the Lyceum and at the University of Malta, where he studied Management and Politics. He continued his studies in London where he graduated BSc in Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), within the University of London.

Operating within the structures of the Public Service of Malta, Mr Aquilina worked for a number of years in the Health Ministry and later at the Office of the Head of the Public Service, within the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta. Among other duties, he served as Secretary to the Committee of Permanent Secretaries and Liaison Officer to the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information, on behalf of the Head of the Public Service. During these years, such roles provided him with a vast array of experience in Public Administration and policy implementation.

Moving forward, Mr Aquilina joined the Private Secretariat of the then Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta and later assumed further duties within the structures of the Malta Foreign Service. Among these duties Mr Aquilina served as Charge d’Affairs at the Embassy of Malta in Copenhagen, Denmark and sat on the Council of the European Union Human Rights Working Group (CONUN) on behalf of Malta.

Operating under the leadership of the late Ambassador Alfred Zarb, Mr Aquilina played a role in the establishment of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) in Malta and formed part of the interviewing Board of the IIJ, on behalf of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Malta.
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Between September 2015 and February 2020, Mr Aquilina served as the Consul General of the Republic of Malta in Istanbul, Turkey. During this time, he also played an important role in the establishment of the Embassy of the Republic of Malta in Ankara, in late 2017. Among his main priorities, Mr Aquilina strove towards better economic and cultural relations between Malta and Turkey.

Mr Aquilina played an important role in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ efforts in the repatriation of Maltese citizens during the first months of the Covid pandemic, leading one of the teams within the Crisis Center established within the Ministry.

During the last years, since September 2020, Mr Aquilina has been serving as Representative of Malta in Palestine. As part of his duties Mr Aquilina strives towards the enhancement of relations between Malta and Palestine in the political, economic, cultural and education spheres, encouraging support and cooperation between the Maltese and Palestinian people.

As part of his Consular duties, with his remit covering East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, Mr Aquilina continuously monitors the ongoing events and challenges in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly those related to security, in view of assistance and advice the Representative Office provides to Maltese citizens visiting Palestine or planning their visit.

Franklin Aquilina is married to Antonella Mifsud and they have a daughter, Emily Kaye, born in February 2013.