Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in Moscow will discuss investment cooperation and contacts in culture and education, press service of the Russian government said on Saturday, November 15.
During the meeting, the prime minister will also touch upon issues related to Malta's chairing of the EU Council in first half of 2017. The countries will sign several bilateral documents after the negotiations.
According to the statement, the two top officials will also touch upon some issues related to Malta's presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first six months of 2017.
"The head of the Russian government and the prime minister of Malta will discuss the current state and the potential development of the bilateral ties, specifically, the cooperation on trade, economy and investments, as well as tourism, culture and education," the press service said in a statement. Russia and Malta are expected to sign a number of bilateral agreements following this meeting, the press service added. During the Moscow visit, Muscat will take part in the Russian-Maltese business forum.
Meanwhile, another news for Malta, it has "fallen victim to the West's information war," according to a reaction by the Russian Foreign Ministry to Malta's refusal to allow Russian warships to refuel in Malta, while en route to Syria.
Late last month, Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella had told Parliament that Malta would not be allowing the warships to refuel in Malta because the country did not want to be complicit in any help offered to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
But a spokeswoman for Vella's Russian counterpart described the ban as an attempt to "exert pressure on all fronts and create a certain atmosphere in the information space."
Maria Zakharova, on behalf of the Russian Foreign Ministry said Vella's statement "falls out of line with any diplomatic routine though he stated it many times that the decision was passed independently without any external pressure proceeding from the purposes, which our military pursue,"
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