New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): Senior IFS officer Gloria Gangte has been appointed as the Indian High Commissioner to Malta, the MEA informed on Tuesday.

"Ms. Gloria Gangte (IFS: 2000), presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Malta," the MEA said in a statement.

India and Malta have maintained cordial relations, cooperating both at the bilateral level and at United Nations and multilateral fora.

According to MEA annual report, the Indian expatriate community in Malta continues to grow in strength, with the majority group consisting of health workers garnering praise for their service to the Maltese health care system, especially during the COVID pandemic.

This fresh appointment of High Commissioner to Malta comes a month after Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture (MoS) Meenakashi Lekhi visited the country.

During her visit to Malta (August 21-23), MoS called on the President of Malta Dr George Vella and met Dr Ian Borg Foreign Minister, Clayton Bartolo, Minister of Tourism and Dr Owen Bonnici, Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government.

Both sides had detailed discussions on bilateral relations, especially tradeinvestment, maritime cooperation, solar energy, films, tourism and culture. The Maltese side appreciated the contribution of the 112 Indian companies present in Malta, mainly in the pharmaceuticals and ICT sectors.

Health and fintech sectors were identified as areas for future cooperation. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. (ANI)