The Austrian Embassy in Ta Xbiex closed its doors last October, The Malta Independent has learnt.

Petra Maria Schneebauer was the last resident ambassador to Malta for Austria.

Minister for Foreign Affairs George Vella confirmed that the Austrian Embassy was closed on 31 October 2015.

Asked by this newsroom why the embassy was closed, Minister Vella said that the reason given personally by the Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz to him was that of cost cutting and rationalisation by the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

Malta so far has a resident ambassador in Vienna, Dr Keith Azzopardi.