Valetta, March 29 : India and Malta held fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations in Valletta and reviewed bilateral ties. The two nations agreed to take forward cooperation in sectors like Information and Communications Technology, healthcare, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and education.

During the meeting, India and Malta discussed ways to deepen economic and commercial relations, particularly in the light of the recently concluded India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA), according to the statement released by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday. The officials of two nations spoke about regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to continue their cooperation in the multilateral domain.

In a statement, MEA stated, "In the consultations, both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction at the steady progress in India-Malta ties, marked by the milestone of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2025."

"They welcomed the recent upswing in the bilateral engagements marked by high-level visits. The discussions focused on areas of cooperation such as trade and investments, tourism, technology and innovation, maritime sector and cooperation in educational and cultural fields," it added.

Secretary (West), MEA, Sibi George and Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary, Malta's Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the meeting held on Friday.

During the visit, Sibi George called on Malta's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ian Borg and discussed ways to strengthen the ongoing cooperation between two nations while also broadening the scope of bilateral engagement.

George and Brigadier Clinton J O' Neill, Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta also held a meeting and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation.

Sibi George also interacted with business leaders in Malta and discussed ways to further strengthen growing business ties, trade and investment between two nations.

MEA Secretary also visited the St. Johnâ??s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

In a post on X, Indian High Commission in Malta stated, "During his visit to Malta, Secretary (West) Sibi George along with High Commission of India officials, visited the St. Johnâ??s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, a key historic site known for its Baroque architecture which holds central place in Maltaâ??s cultural heritage."

India and Malta share friendly and cordial relations. India was one of the first countries to recognise Malta's independence in 1964 and in 1965 established diplomatic relations with it. India and Malta share a common heritage, being members of the Commonwealth, according to High Commission of India in Malta statement. Malta attaches high degree of importance to Commonwealth, and had hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2005 and 2015.

/IANS