Malta and Tunisia can improve their relations in many areas, particularly in the energy sector, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Monday during bilateral meetings he had in Tunis.

The meetings were held with the President of Tunisia Kais Saied and the Prime Minister of Tunisia Najla Bouden, the Office of the Prime Minister said.

During the meeting with Saied (above) at the Presidential Palace in Carthage, Abela pointed out how Malta is looking to continue improving relations and cooperation with Tunisia, as both countries have common commitments and aspirations for a stable Mediterranean region.

Abela also spoke about renewable energy, which is the way forward for countries including Malta and Tunisia. Here he also referred to Tunisia as a prominent partner for such potential projects from which both countries can benefit.

Prime Minister Abela said that the Mediterranean region also contains challenges that must be addressed holistically.

"With mutual respect and commitment between the European Union and Tunisia, we can turn these challenges into opportunities," the statement quoted the PM as saying.

Abela welcomed the latest high level meetings involving the European Union and Tunisia, together with ongoing discussions between the two sides on the Comprehensive Partnership Package which aims to continue to improve the cooperation in the economic sector, the energy sector and immigration.

On immigration, the Prime Minister said that Malta has always consistently advocated for peace and security in the Mediterranean, as it directly affects European stability.

On the same theme, both parties said that the roots of the immigration challenge must continue to be addressed in a comprehensive way.

In his meeting with Bouden (above), Abela said that that immigration is a global issue that cannot be addressed by countries on their own.

Abela also noted that in the coming weeks there will be an international conference on immigration which is looking to also address human trafficking linked to the issue.

Water management was also discussed, with Abela explaining that what Malta is doing with other small states (giving advice on better management of the water resource) can also be done with Tunisia.

The Prime ministers also discussed the willingness for more commercial cooperation between the two countries including the opportunity of cooperation in the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. Other regional themes that were raised were the conflict in Sudan, the situation in Syria and that in the Middle East.

Accompanying Abela during his visit were also the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg, the Minister for Home Affairs Byron Camilleri and the Head of the Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister Glenn Micallef.