Following the Maltese MPs’ visit to the Free Iran Conference in Paris last week, it is noteworthy to check on Malta’s official relationship with Iran.
The Maltese government has a nominal relationship with Iran and we don’t share embassies. Apparently there is a Maltese honorary consulate in Iran and the designated Maltese Embassy handling Iranian relations is Rome.
The trade relationship is also minimal, with Malta exporting up to $1 million in nitrogen heterocyclic compounds in 2022 while we’re importing up to $100,000 every year of fruits from Iran. Nitrogen heterocyclic compounds are used to produce drugs and medicine.
Malta’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg met with Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister earlier this year in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council. The discussion between them was about Gaza.
I’ve questioned both senior government and Nationalist Party sources on their position on Iran. Both sources have agreed to speak to me on the condition of anonymity. Both the Maltese government and the Nationalist Party share the same position that they are not actively pursuing further relationships with Iran. In addition, both of them replied that their efforts in foreign relationships are more prioritised at strengthening relationships and investment from Western nations.
Iran is heavily sanction by the US and the EU for its nuclear programme. It is also one of the main sponsors of terrorism in the Near East, sponsoring groups in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
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