In 1796, the United States established its first diplomatic presence in Malta. During those 200 plus years, our countries have maintained continuous relations and the US diplomatic mission in Malta has occupied a number of different locations around the island including in Sliema and Valletta.

The new US Embassy officially opens in Ta’ Qali on 5 July and my embassy colleagues and I look forward to welcoming our Maltese friends to our new premises where we have an easily accessible and more comfortable consular section, as well as a new ‘Information Resource Centre’, which offers a reference library containing current US publications, internet terminals, a conference room to host digital video conferences with US speakers, and a cultural corner.

But as much as all of us at the US Embassy look forward to the opening of our new building, we leave our current location in Floriana with a touch of sadness as we will miss the warmth and support with which our neighbours in Floriana have hosted us over the past 30 years. On behalf of all my colleagues at the US Embassy, I want to publicly express our sincere appreciation to the mayor and councillors of Floriana for the efficient service and generous support given to the US Embassy over the years. Most of all, I want to thank the residents of Floriana themselves who, in typical Maltese fashion, have welcomed and included us in the town’s feasts and activities, as well as graciously accepted the inconveniences that the Embassy’s security requirements sometimes caused them.

We hope that all of our friends in Floriana will come visit us in Ta’ Qali.

To our new neighbours in Attard, may I say that my colleagues and I look forward to many years of friendship and cooperation.

Saħħa u grazzi.

■ Richard M. Mills, Jr.

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.