Maltese-Turkish relations

Malta has historical significance for the Turkish people : the famous admiral of the Ottoman Navy, Turgut-Reis, was killed during the Great Siege of Malta unsuccessful for the Turks in 1565 ^[1] . In 1873, the Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Aziz ordered to open a Turkish military cemetery in Mars ^[2] .

The interests of Malta in Turkey are represented through the ambassador with residence in Valletta and the consulate general in Istanbul ^[3] . The Turkish Embassy in Malta is located in Floriana . Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe , the World Trade Organization and the Union for the Mediterranean . Since May 1, 2004, Malta is a member of the European Union , and Turkey is a candidate for membership in this organization ^[1] .

In October 2003, in Antalya, the countries signed an Agreement on mutual promotion and protection of investments, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a political consultative mechanism ^[1] .

In 2008, the volume of trade between countries amounted to $ 1.124 billion, an increase of 35% compared with the same period last year. On September 7, 2007, the Turkish-Maltese Business Council and other intergovernmental organizations give priority to the development of commercial relations ^{[4] [5] [6]} .

As of 2008, 24 Turkish firms were represented in Malta, and their total capital amounted to $ 1.3 billion ^[4] . One of the areas of cooperation between the two countries is water: in Malta there is one of the main ship repair enterprises in the Mediterranean , and shipbuilding is actively developing in Turkey ^[7] . In 2008, Air Malta and Turkish Airlines signed a code-sharing agreement ^[8] .

On September 19, 1997, the countries concluded an agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism. In 2008, over 3058 Maltese tourists visited Turkey ^[4] .