RIYADH: Ambassador of Malta to Saudi Arabia Dr. Clive Aquilina Spagnol aims to use his tenure to strengthen Saudi-Maltese ties in tourism, education, trade and culture.
“The mission here is a very old mission, it goes back to 1985, it’s a very old mission ... the relationship between the Kingdom and Malta (has been) going on for quite a while,” Spagnol told Arab News.
Discussing the evolution of Saudi-Maltese relations the ambassador highlighted that there was a period where the two countries had experienced something of a slowdown.
“They (relations) were still good but they weren’t active. It didn’t mean they were going through a problematic phase, they just went into a sleeping mode,” he said.
The ambassador explained that in the 1990s Malta’s foreign policy was more focused on the European Union and becoming a member of the EU.
“Now that we are a fully fledged member of the EU and it’s been almost 20 years … we are tending to look outside the perimeter,” he said.
Spagnol added there has been an increase in Saudi diplomatic and business activity, too, in the last five years.
“We see a lot more engagement from KSA. (The Kingdom) is reaching out to the world, and that encourages us to engage with the Kingdom.”
Spagnol added that the increased areas of engagement between Saudi Arabia and Malta include tourism and education.
“The core value (of Malta) lies in the history and in the culture,” he stressed.
The ambassador explained that, as part of his efforts to strengthen Saudi-Malta cooperation, he personally visited travel agents in the Kingdom to highlight tourism opportunities “because no one knew about Malta and still today not a lot of people hear about Malta.
“I wanted to take Malta outside these walls and I went personally to the travel agents to promote Malta as a tourist destination.”
Spagnol added that Malta is a welcoming, family friendly country and safe for Muslim tourists to visit.
Another area that cooperation between the two countries extends to is education, which Spagnol called a major “wavelength” he is working to strengthen.
“Hopefully we will have the University of Malta accredited here, so that Saudi students can go to Malta, study, come back and use their degree,” he said, adding that he is working closely with the Saudi Ministry of Education to get the process finalized by the end of the year.
“Education and medical care in Malta is of (a) high standard,” the ambassador said.
Discussing the past colonization of Malta by Britain, the ambassador said: “You have to look at the positive side, every cloud has a silver lining.”
Touching upon the investment and social benefits, including healthcare, the British had brought to his island nation, Spagnol added: “Many people denounce colonialism but although we were colonized there was a lot of (benefits) out of colonialism.”
The ambassador also touched upon the possibility for a growth in trade between Malta and Saudi Arabia.
“There is trade between Malta and Saudi without being so visible. Even on the shelves of the market you will find many ‘Made in Malta’ products in terms of food.”
Spagnol noted that the first Maltese hotel, called the Corinthia, will open in Saudi Arabia in Diriyah in 2026, adding that he wanted to see further examples of cultural exchange between the two countries, citing Malta’s strong cultural heritage.
“We would like to see more, for example, exhibits being shown here. Maltese in (Saudi Arabia) and Saudi exhibits in Malta,” he said.
