The oil exploration and exploitation deal signed between Malta and Tunisia is a historic accord and was a giant step in solving a 35-year dispute, said Foreign Minister Michael Frendo yesterday.
Dr Frendo was addressing a press conference to give details of the cooperation agreement on his return from Tunisia yesterday.
“We have always had a good relationship with Tunisia and we have now entered a strategic relationship to work together for both countries’ benefits. We looked for a practical solution and we found it together,” said Dr Frendo.
He said that an expert group will now be set up and will have three months and two weeks to draw up a report that will then be subject to approval from the Malta and Tunisia governments.
Dr Frendo explained that this report will cover the technical details, including the coordinates of the areas that will be surveyed to search for oil. “We will of course later issue a tender for companies to actually look for and exploit any oilfields,” said Dr Frendo.
He said that both Malta and Tunisia will fulfil their international obligations and will not infringe on third parties. He said that both countries were making it abundantly clear that the centre of the Mediterranean was their focus. “This deal is a win-win situation for both sides,” said Dr Frendo.
Both governments now want to keep the momentum up in the period that the reports are drawn up, said Dr Frendo. He added that he wanted to thank Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Foreign Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah for their part in reaching an agreement. He said that President Ben Ali displayed friendship and determination to find agreement.
“The fact that we reached a cooperation agreement will also be more attractive for commercial entities because they always steer clear of disputed areas,” said Dr Frendo.
Asked what the key to finding agreement was by The Malta Independent, Dr Frendo said: “It was the right time where we could exploit the mutual trust and friendship between our two countries. The state visit by President Ben Ali to Malta also helped. It just happened at the right time. I must also point out that the matter was of such importance that I did not attend the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brussels.”
Dr Frendo said that the agreement was one of principle and technicalities would be addressed in the report that is going to be drawn up over the next months. Asked if Malta was engaged in similar discussions with other countries, Dr Frendo said that negotiations were taking place with both Libya and Italy. “In fact, I had meetings with people in Libya in January to that effect, but negotiations are ongoing,” said Dr Frendo.