THE BRIDGE ISSUE 1

The

Bridge

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS . MALTA.

Tissokta l-ħidma diplomatika.

Ix-xahar ta’ April kien impenjattiv għall-Ministru għall-Affarijiet Barranin Dr.George W.Vella, bl-ewwel impenn

kien dak mal-Prim Ministru Dr.Joseph Muscat fis-summit UE-Afrika fi Brussell, fejn intlaħaq ftehim fuq l-

immigrazzjoni rregolari mal-President tan-Niġerja Goodluck Jonathan. Fir-ritratt il-Ministru Vella jidher mal-

Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin tan-Niġerja, Aminu Wali.

APRIL 2014

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 2

Ftit tal-jiem wara, il-Ministru Dr.George Vella laqa’ f’Malta lid-deputat Prim Ministru u Ministru tal-Affarijiet

Barranin tal-Moldova, Natalia Gherman, fejn wara laqgħa biltarali fil-Ministeru ġie iffirmat ftehim li jelimina t-

taxxa doppja, u dikjarazzjoni konġunta fuq l-għajnuna li Malta tista’ toffri lill-Moldova għall-integrazzjoni

Ewropea.

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 3

Matul dan ix-xahar ukoll il-Ministru Vella ġie intervistat minn Debating Europe li hija pjattaforma Ewropea li

permezz ta’ mistoqsijiet li jidħlu minn ċittadini Ewropej, isir kuntatt ma’ diversi Ministri u Kapijiet ta’ Stati

Ewropej. Is-suġġett kien l-Ukrajna, u Debating Europe iddeċieda li jagħti importanza kbira għal dak li wieġeb

fuq dan is-suġġett, il-Ministru Dr.George Vella.

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 4

Impenn ieħor tal-Ministru kienet il-laqgħa tal-kunsill tal-Ministri tal-Affarijiet Barranin tal-Unjoni Ewropea, kif

ukoll il-laqgħa tal-grupp Mediterranju magħruf bhala Med 7, f’Alicante fi Spanja. Matul din il-laqgħa l-Ministri

ddiskutew il-problema tal-immmigrazzjoni rregolari u qablu fuq dikjarazzjoni li tagħmel emfasi fuq is-

solidarjeta’, it-tqassim ġust tar-responsabbilta’ għall-immigranti, ir-rilokazzjoni u r-ripatriazzjoni ta’ dawk l-

immigranti li ma jkunux ingħataw ażil.

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 5

Ambassador Vanessa Frazier

honoured by the French Government

HE Vanessa Frazier, a

career diplomat currently

serving as Malta’s

Ambassador in Rome, has

been awarded the

Chevalier de l’Ordre

national du Mérite (French

Medal of Honour) by

French Ambassador to

Malta, H.E. Michel

Vanderpoorter. Foreign

Minister George Vella

attended this event held

at the Ambassador’s

residence in Siggiewi.

French Ambassador, HE

Vanderpoorter cited for

Ambassador Frazier for

her work in European and

Mediterranean defence

and security and for her

humanitarian work.

Stating that through this

honour, France is

recognizing the important

role played by Malta

during the Arab Spring

and the Libyan revolution

in particular, he pointed

out that whilst numerous

government entities and

officials worked tirelessly

to evacuate thousands of

foreign nationals from

Libya, Ambassador Frazier

travelled regularly into

Libya to evacuate injured

aid workers, foreign

journalists as well as

Libyan nationals, putting

herself at risk to assist

others and thus going

over and above her call of

duty.

In accepting the honour,

Ambassador Frazier

thanked the French

Government for the

recognition it is giving to

Malta’s role as well as to

the part she played in

Malta’s response to the

Libyan revolution. She

thanked her family, in

particular her husband,

without whom she would

not have been able to

achieve the healthy work-

life balance she has. She

thanked her mother for

always encouraging her to

aim high and to chase her

dreams and her team at

the Defence Matters

Directorate. She also

stated that she hoped that

this new achievement

would encourage young

persons, especially girls,

that they too can aim high

and achieve their dreams.

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 6

Tislima lill-Ambaxxatur Joseph Cole

li temm il-kariga tiegħu minn Segretarju

Permanenti fil-Ministeru għall-Affarijiet Barranin.

L-Ambaxxatur Joseph Cole

temm il-kariga tiegħu

bħala Segretarju

Permanenti fil-Minsiteru

għall-Affarijiet Barranin,

hekk kif mill-aħħar ta’

April beda jservi bħala

Ambaxxatur għal Malta

f’The Hague, l-Olanda. L-

Ambaxxatur Cole ilu fil-

Ministeru għall-affarijiet

barranin sa mill-1977.

Huwa serva bhala Konslu

Ġenerali għal Malta

f’Sydney l-Awstralja mill-

1983 sal-1985, u kien

ukoll parti mid-

delegazzjoni presidenzjali

tal-kummerc fi zjara fl-

Awstralja u f’Singapore fl-

1986.

Fl-1998, is-Sur Cole serva

bħala deputat

Kummissjonarju Għoli

f’Londra, u għal diversi

snin kien rappreżentant

għal Malta fis-Summit

Dinji għall-Izvilupp

Sostenibbli fl-Afrika t’isfel.

Fis-sena 2003 sas-sena

2006, l-Ambaxxatur Cole

rrappreżenta lil Malta

f’diversi konferenzi tal-

Unjoni Ewropea. Is-Sur

Cole kien ukoll maħtur

bhala Vici President tal-

kummissjoni Nazzjonali

Maltija tal-UNESCO, u kien

ukoll membru tal-Kunsill

Malti għall-iżvilupp

ekonomiku u soċjali. Fis-

sena 2012, is-Sur Cole

inħatar Ambaxxatur għal

Malta fl-Istati Uniti fejn

ippreżenta l-kredjenzjali

tiegħu lill-President

Amerikan Barack Obama.

Hekk kif temm il-kariga

tiegħu minn Segretarju

Permanenti fil-Ministeru

għall-affarijiet barranin, il-

Ministru għall-affarijiet

barranin Dr.George

W.Vella irringrazzjah għax-

xogħol siewi tiegħu matul

din l-aħħar sena, u

awguralu għall-kariga

ġdida tiegħu f’The Hague.

Is-segretarju permanenti

ġdid tal-Ministeru għall-

Affarijiet Barranin hija l-

Ambaxxatur Fiona - Jayne

Formosa.

THE BRIDGE ISSUE 1

Diplomacy at heart

By High Commissioner in Australia Charles Muscat

Since, my appointment on the

25th September 2013, as High

Commissioner I have been very

busy keeping in touch with close

contacts established prior to my

appointment.

Furthermore, as Head of

Mission, coming from the private

sector, I gave the High

Commission a new approach in

every aspect of the daily

operation of the offices,

reflecting professionalism and

efficiency. It can be said that

since my appointment, I

welcomed many Maltese from

various states to the Office.

Opening the doors of the Mission

to the community, has been very

well received and appreciated by

all.

Beside his diplomatic work, I

started conducting official visits

to the Maltese community in

every state. The Maltese

community has welcomed my

appointment with open arms and

accepted the fact that being one

of them, is an asset and they

also showed their appreciation

towards the Government that

have picked a representative

from amongst them.

Furthermore, during my state

visits, I took the opportunity to

meet with various business

leaders.

I also met with certain business

people and business groups that

have a strong interest in

investing in Malta.

At every opportunity, I promote

Malta as a hub in the

Mediterranean and a bridge

between the North African coast

and Europe.

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 8

Niltaqgħu ma’

l-Ambaxxatur għal Malta fl-Awstrija, Keith Azzopardi.

Li tirrapreżenta lil pajjiżek barra

minn xtutna, mhux biss hu unur

iżda wkoll responsabbilta’. Bħal

kull professjoni oħra, hu

mportanti li jkollok namur għax-

xogħol li tkun qed tagħmel, jew li

tirrapreżenta, f’dan il-każ Malta,

iżda wkoll li tkun kuntent fl-

ambjent –il ġdid li tkun qed tgħix

fih. F’dan ir-rigward, l-Awstrija

mhux biss hu pajjiż li joffri

opportunitajiet interessanti għal

pajjiżna iżda hu wkoll pajjiż

b’kultura, storja u ambjent mill-

isbah.

F’temp ta’ ftit xhur mill-ħatra ta’

Ambaxxatur, kelli l-opportunita’ li

nesperjenza diversi avvenimenti

mportanti lill’hinn mid-doveri u

inizjattivi kemm fil-qasam

bilaterali u dawk multilaterali.

Fosthom kien hemm iż-Żjara

Statali tal-E.T. ex-President ta’

Malta Dr George Abela kif ukoll

iċ-Ċermenxip ta’ Malta tal-Forum

tal-Koperazzjoni fis-Sigurta’ tal-

Organizzazzjoni tas-Sigurta’ u l-

Koperazzjoni fl-Ewropa (OSCE).

Esperjenzi li mhux biss ġabu

l’quddiem isem pajjiżna iżda

wkoll li nibqa nġorr miegħi fis-

snin li ġejjin.

Li tghix f’pajjiż barrani, huma

diversi l-isfidi personali li wieħed

jgħaddi minnhom. Iżda huma

wkoll diversi l-esperjenzi li jkollok

sabiex tapprezza kemm is-

sbuħija naturali u rikkezzi oħra li

joffri pajjiż, bhall-Awstrija.

Għaldaqstant, hadt l-opportunita’

li nżur kemm id-diversi

mużewijiet u postijiet storiċi kif

ukoll reġjuni differenti tal-pajjiż

fil-ħin liberu tiegħi, b’mod

partikolari l-kampanja.

Madanakollu, xejn u l-ebda ħaġa

ma tħassar in-nostalġija lejn

pajjiżek. Malta hu pajjiż li,

minkejja ċ-ċokon u l-

limitazzjonijiet tiegħu għandu

ħafna x’joffri, inkluż rikkezzi

storiċi u naturali. Fuq kollox, l-

ospitalita’ tagħna l-Maltin hi

karatteristika li bħalha għad irrid

nara f’pajjiżi oħra.

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 9

A dentist to get you ready for the red carpet!

By Chantal Sciberras. Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Embassy of Malta in Dublin

Dublin boasts of a Maltese lady who makes us proud

thanks to her hard work, as well as Maltese warmth

and personality. This is Dr Nicola Zammit, a highly-

trained dentist who has made Dublin her home. Nicola

qualified as a dentist in Malta in 2004 after which she

furthered her education in Sheffield, UK. In 2007, she

travelled to Dublin and decided to give her career a

shot in Ireland, after falling in love with the country.

She took up the position of Senior House Officer in

Trinity College Dublin Dental School and Hospital

and stayed on working as a Clinical Supervisor

attaining more experience in the various fields of

dentistry. Ever since, she has worked in various

hospitals and private practices, and has worked

alongside world-leaders in different fields of dentistry,

equipping her with a great set of skills and experience.

Nicola’s achievements encouraged her to establish her

own dental practice in Malahide, Co. Dublin. Since

opening for business in April 2013, Ivory Dental has

been nominated for several awards and in January

2014 was awarded the Most Attractive Practice Title

in 2014, due to Nicola’s emphasis on not just

providing the best quality service, but also a relaxed

environment that would hopefully help dispel the

usual jitters (terror for some) in advance of a dentist’s

appointment.

Meanwhile, Nicola’s skills as well as natural charm

(which one may easily attribute to her nationality)

brought her in contact with several celebrities

including Rihanna, a favourite artist of hers. Whilst

preparing to attend Rihanna’s concert in Dublin in

2012, Nicola was called in for an emergency at the O2

arena. Little did she know that she would be treating

the same singer she was about to see live on stage.

Nicola’s experience led her to being a key contact for

artists visiting Dublin and in this case, her skills were

required to make a set of grills that would be used for

Rihanna’s “You Da One” music video. Nicola proved

to be not only a highly-skilled professional but, during

her conversation with Rihanna, discovered that they

shared much in common, since they are both originally

from warm island states. The encounter was posted on

Rihanna’s website and this video provides a little

insight as to what happened on the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEy7aZraHAA&fe

ature=youtube_gdata_player

Well, in the event of a red-carpet dental emergency,

we certainly know who to call in Dublin!

THE BRIDGE ISSUE 1

Il-Maltin ta’ barra... fuq is-Social Media

Minn Walter Sultana.

Meta konna żgħar żgur li niftakru

programmi televiżivi fuq ix-Xandir

tal-istat li kienu jġibu fuq ħutna l-

Maltin li emigraw lejn artijiet

oħra. B’mod partikolari, ma

nistgħux ma niftakrux il-

programm dwar il-Maltin fl-

Awstralja bl-isem tad-diska

popolari u tal-widna ‘Waltzing

Matilda’. Dawn it-tip ta’

programmi żammewna aġġornati

mal-mod kif qed jgħixu il-Maltin

fl-artijiet li laqgħuhom.

Fuq ix-Xandir niftakar ukoll

programmi oħra li taw ħarsa lejn

l-emigrazzjoni tal-Maltin mal-

erbat irjieħat tad-Dinja, fosthom

il-programm immexxi mill-eks

kollega tal-Ministeru tal-Affarijiet

Barranin is-Sra Doris Zammit, bil-

programm ‘Baqgħu Maltin’.

U kif jixhed propju l-isem tal-

programm ‘Baqgħu Maltin’, il-

Maltin ta’ barra baqgħu jhożżu

b’tant qlubija u dedikazzjoni

ċertu tradizzjonijiet u dak kollu li

hu marbut mal-kultura Maltija.

Illum din l-espressjoni ta’ dak

kollu li baqa’ jagħmilhom Maltin

insibuha f’għadd ta’ paġni fuq is-

social media b’mod partikolari

fuq Facebook. Il-Maltin ta’ barra

raw Facebook bħala ħolqa oħra

fil-katina ta’ mezzi biex iżommu

ruħhom aġġornati u fl-istess

waqt iħeġġu lil ħuthom Maltin li

jgħixu f’Malta u fil-pajjiżi l-oħra

biex jinteraġixxu flimkien u

jaqsmu minjiera ta’

informazzjoni.

Insemmi uħud li iltqajt magħhom

dan l-aħħar fuq Facebook,

fosthom dawk tal-Kanada bil-

‘Maltese Association ta’

Hamilton’; dawk tar-Renju Unit

bil-Maltese Culture Movement –

UK; dawk tal-Awstralja bil- ‘Leħen

il-Malti tal-Awstralja’; ‘Nisġa’; il-

Maltese Community Council of

Victoria; u ma rridux ninsew ukoll

paġni oħra ta’ Maltin li għamlu

suċċess barra minn xtutna,

fosthom tat-Tenur Malti Joseph

Calleja u l-kantanta Sophie

Debattista.

Din il-lista m’hijiex waħda

komprensiva u żgur mhux forsi li

hemm ħafna iktar paġni oħrajn

simili. Ninnutaw li f’dawn il-paġni

jispikka ħafna l-element kulturali

Malti. Speċjalment dak marbut

mal-festi u mat-tradizzjoni

kulinarja, b’xi riċetta tal-figolli,

pudina, u ikel ieħor tipikament

Malti. Tiltaqa’ wkoll ma’ diversi

informazzjoni dwar l-istorja ta’

Malta.

Tajjeb li hawn nieħdu l-

okkażżjoni u nirringrazzjaw lil

dawk kollha li b’mezz jew ieħor

ta’ komunikazzjoni; b’ġurnali, bi

programmi televiżivi, tar-radju u

issa anki bl-internet, iżommu

ħajjin l-interessi tal-Maltin barra

minn Malta. Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar,

bis-saħħa tas-social media, illum

nistgħu ngħidu verament li sirna

lkoll villaġġ wieħed!

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 11

Nota Editorjali

Huwa ta’ pjaċir kbir għalija li qed naħdem fuq din il-pubblikazzjoni online, li l-għan aħħari tagħha hu li sservi

bħala pont bejn il-Ministeru għall-Affarijiet Barranin u l-Maltin, sew dawk li jgħixu Malta u anki dawk li jgħixu

barra l-pajjiż.

Dawk interessati li jissottomettu ideat jew kontribuzzjonijiet jistgħu jagħmlu kuntatt miegħi fuq :

maria.a.muscat@gov.mt

Maria Muscat

Communications Coordinator

Ministeru Għall-Affarijiet Barranin

THE BRIDGE | Issue # 12