NZ Prime Minister Arrives In Malta

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has laid a wreath honouring the sacrifice of New Zealand World War I soldiers buried at a war graves cemetery in Malta.

On arrival in Malta Ms Clark also met with Malta’s Prime Minister Gonzi and President Dr Edward Fenech-Adami.

After a closed door meeting with Mr Gonzi, Helen Clark said discussions considered pressures that both New Zealand and Malta face against illegal migration.

Both New Zealand and Malta are aware, she said, how illegal people smuggling networks deliver people out of central Asia and the Middle East down through Indonesia and into Australia. Likewise Malta is exposed: “There are also great pressures of illegal migration coming off the North African shores, and so we discussed this morning some of the difficulties that that presents for Malta.”

Both countries she said must remain alert to human trafficking.

NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark and Malta Prime Minister Gonzi.

New Zealand and Malta also signed a reciprocal retirement arrangement, and a dual-nation holiday scheme.

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