Mario Sammartino is the new ambassador of Italy to Malta and to him the Farnesina sends a tweet of “good luck” on the day of official settlement in Valletta.

Born in 1956, in Naples, Mario Sammartino graduated in Law in Milan in 1983. He entered a diplomatic career in 1985 and began his professional career at the Directorate for Development Cooperation.

His career abroad began in 1986 at the Embassy in Columbus and continues in Dortmund, where in 1991 he assumed the functions of Consul. In 1994 he was transferred, as a Consul, to Mar del Plata.

Returning to the Farnesina in 1995, he was assigned to the Directorate General for Development Cooperation. He returned to serve abroad in 2000 in Rabat, while in 2004 he was sent as Ambassador to Libreville.

In 2007, he returned to Rome, where he took over from the General Directorate of Sub-Saharan Africa. He was then appointed Deputy Director-General for Development Cooperation with functions related to the programming and implementation of co-operation interventions. In 2012 he was appointed ambassador to Kuala Lumpur.

 

He is married to Federica Modena, with whom she has a daughter of twenty years, Ilaria.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

With 13 weekly flights from Rome Fiumicino, 14 from Catania, 7 from Milan Linate and 2 weekly flights from Palermo, scheduled on Monday and Friday, Air Malta prepares for the new winter season to increase its presence in Italy and Sicily, focusing on history, tourism, events and English courses. The flagship company of the Island of the Knights looks in particular at the Sicilian capital, which next year will be the Italian Capital of Culture, together with La Valletta, the European Capital of Culture.

The launch of the new Air Malta route took place at the “Falcone Borsellino” airport in Palermo. Among the participants: Fabio Giambrone, President of Gesap, the company managing the airport, Sales Director Natale Chieppa, Tiziana Della Serra, Managing Director of Rephouse, the Company that represents Air Malta in Italy, and Claude Zammit-Trevisan Marketing Director of the Malta Tourism Authority for Italy.

The Maltese carrier has been operating for 42 years now with 35 destinations to Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. “For the future,” said Della Serra, “Air Malta will point to increased services and technology: online group booking, mobile check-in, mobile booking, web check-in for groups and social content. All information can be found on www.airmalta.com“.

“We are proud to be part of this ambitious growth project”, said Trevisan. “Malta has been on the Italian market for many years, is already very strong on the Catania airport but wants to grow also in Palermo, which is the last of the 12 Italian airports connected with our island, which is 2 hours from Milan and one hour from Rome. The airport is located 20-25 minutes from Valletta and the main tourist destinations. In the last two years we have intervened on the beaches: today we have 12 blue flag beaches, suitable for young people and for families. We have a millennial civilization – with UNESCO site and cities like Valletta, which will be the European Capital next year. Culture links us to Palermo, which will be the cultural capital of Italy. We have already started to find a common path for the development of synergies for tourism. There will be many events of great quality throughout the year, starting from January, and many will be free: the baroque music festival, the carnival, traditional festivals, specific events for Valletta 2018. Malta – he concluded – is a safe and child-friendly destination”.

In its first 18 months in Punta Raisi, Air Malta benefited from the growth of the Palermo airport, which brought in more than one million passengers in three years and a growth of over 8 percent between 2015 and 2016, a positive trend confirmed by +5.4% in the first eight months of 2017. During that same period, Air Malta carried 16,170 passengers (+220% compared to 2016), although it should be considered that last year the Maltese company became operational at Punta Raisi from the second semester. 

“The Maltese are very interested in Sicily,” said Natale Chieppa, “and there is a very strong potential for Sicilians and Palermitans who want to visit Malta”.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture has announced that total cereal production for the 2016-2017 agricultural season amounts to 96 million quintals, almost three times more than the previous year (35.5 million quintals). This is a very positive result, favored by the trend of atmospheric precipitations, which had instead penalized the 2015-2016 campaign. The production of this year is distributed on three main cereals: wheat (49 million tonnes), barley (25 million), hard wheat (22 million). The Moroccan regions that have contributed the most to this good performance are those of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Grand-Casablanca-Settat. The Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that atmospheric precipitation this year was 327 mm, 51 percent more than the previous year. The irregular pattern of rainfall in Morocco strongly affects cereal crops: for example, the 2014-2015 campaign saw a record 114.6 million quintals, while the previous one produced 68.5 million quintals.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

 Some 7.5 million tourists visited the Mediterranean resort of Antalya in the first eight months of the year despite a steady decrease in arrivals from 10 key European markets. Just 6.4 million tourists visited Antalya over the whole of 2016, which was a tough year for the resort’s tourism amid a diplomatic crisis with Russia. 

In August, nearly 1.8 million tourists visited Antalya, with a 75 percent year-on-year increase. With normalization in bilateral ties between Turkey and Russia, the number of arrivals from Russia to Antalya has seen a sharp rise, as more than 2.6 million Russians visited the resort in the January-August period  taking a 33 percent share in total. Germany was the second largest market for Antalya’s tourism sector. More than 1 million Germans visited Antalya with the loss of 236,000 Germantourists compared to the same period of 2016. Germany took a 15.5 percent share in total foreign arrivals into Antalya in the mentioned period. 

Ukraine was the third top market for Antalya with 545,278 Ukrainian tourists and the  United Kingdom was the fourth top market for Antalya, with 251,714 Brits visiting the resort. 

The number of arrivals in the province from many key European markets continued to decline, including the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, Austria and Switzerland, data showed.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The construction of the Trans-Adriatic pipeline, which is now completed for more than 50 per cent, after 16 months since the beginning of the works, is proceeding to Greece, Albania and Italy. Construction in Albania and Greece, as announced by the company responsible for construction, is already complete for 70%, saying that in the two countries more than 539 kilometers of the 765 foreseen by the route have already been made, with the installation of more than 45 % of welded steel tubes. Over 5,500 people (85% local) work for the project in the three countries, which are also recipients of a large social and environmental investment (SEI) program for a total value of over 55 million.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, has concluded his two-day state visit to Malta. It is evident through the high-level meetings held that that two countries enjoy an excellent relationship and share the same values and aspirations.

During the last hours of his stay, Mattarella received a courtesy visit by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta, Angelo Farrugia.

Speaker Farrugia and President Mattarella highlighted the excellent and cordial bilateral relations that exist between Malta and Italy, which relations have been consolidated over the years through various agreements, including, in particular the five Financial Protocols and the fifteen Cultural and Educational Agreements.

The discussion also focused on the international situation, mainly the Mediterranean and the problem of migration. They agreed that migration has to be managed properly and that the Members States of the European Union should show active and not passive solidarity.

The importance of the parliamentary diplomacy as well as the role of national Parliaments and parliamentary cooperation in international organisations featured in the talks. In this regard, the close cooperation between the Maltese House of Representatives and the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies was highlighted.

The programme proceeded with a cultural visit to the old Maltese capital city of Mdina where the local Mayor Peter Sant Manduca welcomed him.

Late on Wednesday evening, a state dinner was held in honour of the Italian President hosted by the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. She reaffirmed the outstanding cooperation in many areas between Malta and Italy that include trade, tourism, energy, immigration and culture.

During this event the Maltese President pointed out that next year, the capital city Valletta will be the European Cultural City for 2018, and augured that this would present a unique opportunity to strengthen the two nations’ collaboration in the field of art.

She also thanked the Italian Ambassador to Malta Giovanni Umberto De Vito for his continuous effort to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, as his tenure will expire in the upcoming days.

(ITALPRESS/MNA)

 

Source: medNews

Sergio Mattarella’s two day state visit in Malta, initiated with a meeting between him and the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, during which the Italian President highlighted the special relationship between the two countries that is reflected in various fields.

The issue of immigration in the Mediterranean region was high on the agenda. With Italy facing the biggest burden of immigrants, the President of Malta stressed the need to share the load between all member states of the European Union. 

The Maltese President said “Malta stands in full solidarity with Italy to help deal with the current migratory pressure from the central Mediterranean route. Malta believes that relocation remains a key measure in order to alleviate the pressure on front line EU members by sharing the responsibility in dealing with applicants”. President Mattarella stated that Italy and Malta retain the same position on peace and international collaboration demonstrated through the issue of immigration and solidarity with African countries. He praised Malta for respecting the immigration quota as established by the European Union.

However Mattarella warned that although there are other countries that have taken immigrants as decided by the European Union, there are still member states that are not collaborating. 

This means that the European Union still has to undertake a lot of work to put solidarity into practice and to truly apportion commitment on all fronts particularly with regards to immigration.

Reference was also made to the situation in Libya. The Italian president said that Italy is appealing to the European Union and the United Nations so that together they work towards reinstating stability in the country and improving the conditions in the refugee camps. During the bilateral meeting between the two presidents the co-operation in the field of energy was mentioned. The President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro praised the interconnector project between Malta and Sicily through which Malta is buying energy from Italy. She augured that this success will be achieved as works on the natural gas pipeline have commenced. Italy is the largest business partner to Malta as over 3,320 companies holding Italian shares operate on the island. The President of Malta said that this is another confirmation of the partnership between the two countries as she also made reference to the fields of politics, culture and economy.

Leter, the Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat paid a courtesy visit to the Italian President Mattarella. During this meeting it was pointed out how the two countries face similar challenges and hold common positions on important issues. 

Definitely a common challenge pertaining to both countries is immigration described by the Maltese Prime Minister as not only being a humanitarian matter but also a security concern.  It is a global challenge, and not a local one. Both sides referred to the European Court ruling to reject the objections of Hungary and Slovakia for burden-sharing with quotas as a very important political decision. 

Prime Minister Muscat stressed the importance of adhering to quotas by all member states whilst President Mattarella commended Malta for taking a decisive role on this issue in the Mediterranean. The situation of Libya was also brought up during the meeting with both sides agreeing that dialogue between all parties concerned has to be strengthened. They emphasised that a relationship between the European Union and the African continent is crucial. The topic of energy connectivity was also discussed with Dr Muscat referring to the gas pipeline from Sicily to Malta linking the two countries.  The Maltese Prime Minister also disclosed the Government’s vision to start consultation for the elimination of petrol and diesel operated cars, a commitment that was positively received by the Italian President.

They also discussed the commercial links between Malta and Italy that are leading to benefits for both sides. 

President Mattarella said that he is impressed with the results that Malta is gaining in the economic field. Both sides agreed that Europe needs to strengthen its social dimension.

Meanwhile, President Mattarella congratulated Prime Minister Joseph Muscat for the exemplary manner in which Malta led the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the six months tenure. Mattarella ended this day with a meeting with the outgoing Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil. Dr. Busuttil will end his term this coming Saturday, as the opposition party will be voting for a new leader following last June’s electoral defeat.

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Italian, Angelo Alfano was present for the meetings.

 

(ITALPRESS/MNA)

Source: medNews

Interior Minister Marco Minniti met Libyan General Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi in recent days. The news appeared on Twitter’s profile and Facebook page of Alwasat Libya, posting a picture of the minister shaking hands with the general.

The meeting, the newspaper wrote, took place in the Libyan militia chief’s office near the Tobruk parliament at the headquarters of the general command in the Al-Rajmeh area. Minniti arrived in the city of Benghazi from Algeria, Alwasat reports. The Italian Interior Minister, the Libyan daily continues, said that Algeria and Rome are interested in the stability of Libya, because it is important to fight terrorism and trafficking in human beings.

For a long time, the Viminale owner wanted to talk face to face with “the strong man of Cyrenaica” who controls many of the migrants’ routes coming from Sub-Saharan Africa and across the heart of the Fezzan desert to the Mediterranean. Involving Haftar in European choices is paramount. “Obviously,” the entourage of Libyan Prime Minister Sarraj said, “we have been warned of Minniti’s journey to Benghazi, and the English and French Foreign Ministers have done so in the last few days.” They are moved in the spirit of the Paris accords ” .

To respond to the migration crisis, Minniti knows that it is also necessary to talk to Haftar, who has often announced that he wants to boycott the immigration flows containment plans that in his eyes appear to be interferences and violations of sovereignty. Haftar had always maintained a hostile attitude with Italy, which he accused of giving too much support to the government of Tripoli.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Indian oil company Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has confirmed its willingness to participate in the ongoing call in Lebanon and Israel for the exploitation and production of oil and gas offshore.

The Indian company is one of the pre-qualified companies in Lebanon for the first phase of contract award for Blocks 1, 4, 8, 9 and 10.

However, the ONGC indicated that it would not present itself for the Lebanon-Israel border blocks, namely Blocks 8, 9 and 10, as the Indian company also intends to participate in the exploration and exploitation of 24 blocks off the Israeli coast (none of which is in the controversial areas).

In Lebanon, pre-qualified companies for the first phase of contract award must submit their bids by September 15. The announcement of the winners and the signing of the contracts is scheduled to take place on November 15.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Master of the Tennis FIT Kinder + Sport 2017 circuit finished. The event, held at the Foro Italico from August 21 until August 30, was characterized by the fact that it was the first international edition: over 1300 matches played by 1345 players, including 51 foreigners. Between the Kinder Village the Pietrangeli Stadium, young athletes, aged between 9 and 16, spent some days immersed in a sporty climate, full of passion for sport. From this year, Italy has invited eight additional federations in the capital to take part

to the event: Austria (5 players), Bulgaria (8), Germany (6), Israel (6), Luxembourg (8), Malta (9), Principality of Monaco (5) and Hungary (4). A satisfaction for Rita Grande, the former tennis player that organizes the event: “We are very happy to have been able to involve 8 federations. Some

foreign athletes have won, while others have made it to the final. It’s the first time, after eleven years, that the Italian kids can compete with foreign boys. Technical exchanges took place and new friendships have emerged”.

Several winners belonged to foreign federations. Bulgaria won the women’s Under 12 and reached the final in the male tournament. Hungary brought 4 athletes in the finals, in the Under 10 and Under 11 categories, while Austria won the Under 9 women tournament. Germany was finalist in the under 12th

Women tournament. In the remaining categories, finals were played by Italian playersi. The goal of next year, as stated by the organizers, is to involve at least four more federations in order to make the atmosphere of the tournament as international as possible.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews