Modi met Maltese counterpart Joseph Muscat for better trade ties

India and Malta discussed the possibility of enhancing trade and commercial ties between the two countries during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Maltese counterpart Joseph Muscat. The Maltese prime minister is on his maiden visit to India from January 17 to 19 for attending the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2019. He is accompanied by Malta's Minister of Economy, Investment and Small Businesses Christian Cardona, senior officials of his ministry and a large business delegation.

Modi invited greater academic cooperation from Malta, including the possibility of offering training courses for Maltese professionals at the Forensics University in Gujarat, an External Affairs Ministry statement said. Realising the importance of renewable energy for sustainable and low carbon-imprint growth, the two leaders hailed the initiative of International Solar Alliance and committed full cooperation to upscale solar technologies and harness the full potential of solar energy, it said.

The Maltese PM and his delegation were received by Gujarat Governor O P Kohli. During his bilateral meeting with Modi on the sidelines of the summit, Muscat fondly recalled the visit of the vice president of India to Malta in September last year and appreciated the growing exchange of visits and strengthening of the bilateral relationship. He welcomed Indian Pharma and IT industry to make Malta a potential hub for African and European markets. He also invited India to cooperate with the country on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and financial technologies. Malta has brought in formal legislation on blockchain technology and sees the role of Indian IT companies as system monitors, the statement said.