Malta and Gambia have signed an agreement to facilitate the repatriation of Gambian immigrants.

The deal was reached by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Gambian Foreign Affairs Minister Bala Garba Jahumpa in New York, where the UN General Assembly is holding its 69th session.  The agreement was signed by Maltese Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella and his Gambian counterpart.

The two countries signed a cooperation agreement by which Malta will have the faculty to repatriate Gambian migrants who have entered Malta illegally, with full respect to their human rights. There are currently some 80 Gambian migrants living in Malta who had their application for refugee status refused. In a statement the government referred to a similar agreement reached with Nigeria earlier this year during an EU-Africa Summit.  

In the meantime, PM Joseph Muscat is focusing on bilateral meetings, particularly with Commonwealth and African countries in anticipation of next year’s CHOGM summit, which will be held in Malta, the government said.

The PM met Ghanian President John Dramani Mahama and the two agreed on the need for bigger synergy in the energy sector. Ghana had previously announced it will open an embassy in Malta. The government statement said Malta is sending a strong message ahead of the Commonwealth summit. The message is that being the best in the EU is not only a local ambition but also an ambition that can give hope to other countries. This will be a vocation that looks at how other countries can develop. This could, in turn lead to a downturn in illegal migration from these countries.

Dr Muscat also met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, with whom he discussed the possibility of joint ventures to strengthen commercial ties between the two countries.