Foreign Minister Michael Frendo launched the concept of a Central Mediterranean Economic Forum

(C-MEF) during a public lecture at the Institute of the Diplomatic Studies in Tunisia.

The project concept was also discussed during official talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia Abdelwahab Abdallah.

He said that the Forum could build on the competitive advantages of each country and see how these advantages, for example, Malta’s leading role in financial services, could be used as catalysts for economic growth in all the countries of C-MEF.

Dr Frendo said that, in his concept, this Forum would be a business and economic forum.

C-MEF would have the objective of assisting the business communities of the various countries to exploit the opportunities provided by the existence of “a critical mass” in markets of close proximity.

Minister Frendo’s lecture, entitled Malta in the Mediterranean of tomorrow: perspectives and strategies, touched on several issues relating to the Mediterranean reality in particular, the central Mediterranean area, such as irregular immigration.

Maltese-Tunisian Mixed Commission

On the first day of his official visit in Tunisia, Minister Frendo also

co-chaired the opening session of the sixth session of the Maltese Tunisian Mixed Commission together with Abdelwahab Abdallah, Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister.

The Mixed Commission is discussing several areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, in particular cooperation in social, technical, home affairs and environment issues.

Foreign Minister Frendo also

held meetings with the Tourism Minister Tijani Haddad and the Communication Technologies Minister Montassar Ouaili.

Minister Frendo’s official visit in Tunisia ends tomorrow.