In the margins of several meetings being held in London for Commonwealth
Days 2023, the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg
hosted a meeting for Foreign Affairs Ministers of Small Island Developing
States. This meeting was also attended by the Director of the European External
Action Service (EEAS) Belen Carbonell Martinez, and by the Secretary General of
the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland.
During this meeting, Minister Borg stated that the small island states are
among the first to feel the repercussions of climate change, particularly in
certain geographical areas due to the sea level. He went on to say how with
this meeting, Malta, as a member of the Commonwealth and even of the European
Union, wishes to increase collaboration between the two organisations so that
the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are reached.
Minister Ian Borg also took the opportunity to explain the national
initiative, ‘Island for Islands’, aimed at enhancing better collaboration with small
island states so that Malta can help and share its experiences with other
countries.
The Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Bahamas, Dominican Republic,
Jamaica, Mauritius and Nauru attended this meeting organised by the Ministry
for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade. As for Saint Kitts and Nevis, the
Minister for Energy attended, while for Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Fiji, their High Commissioners in the United Kingdom
attended.
