On Tuesday 12 September 2017, the Head of the Representative Office of the Republic of Malta in Ramallah, Palestine, Mr Reuben Gauci and his spouse, Dr Olga V. Gauci welcomed a large gathering at the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in the area of Al Masyoon in Ramallah, Palestine, including Palestinian distinguished guests and Diplomatic Representatives of various countries accredited to Palestine, to celebrate the 53nd Anniversary of Malta’s attainment of Independence on 21 September 1964. The reception was well attended by a crowd of more than 200 guests.

During the reception, the visual message of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, Hon Carmelo Abela which message was recorded especially for the celebrations of Malta’s Independence Day abroad held by Maltese Diplomatic Missions, was shown to the audience present. Following Minister Abela’s recorded speech, the Representative delivered a speech in the Arabic language, with a translation to English read by his spouse, whereas he said that in lieu of the work being done by the Representative Office in Ramallah in conjunction with a number of Maltese and Palestinian public and private entities, a number of Maltese Ministers, Religious people, Artists, Writers, Chefs, Tourism Experts and Academics were visiting Palestine and planning to continue to do so, all this in demonstration of the inalienable friendship and support between Malta and Palestine. The Head of Representative Office concluded that Malta’s commitment towards the Goal of the Peace Process and towards the achievement of an independent, democratic and viable State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security.

Following the Representative’s speech, the Minister for Social Development, H.E. Dr Ibrahim Shaer, who represented the Palestinian Authority, thanked Malta for its continuous support towards the Palestinian cause and wished the Maltese people and Government all the best for a prosperous future. He also conveyed a message of congratulations from the President of Palestine, H.E. Mahmoud Abbas and from the Prime Minister of Palestine, H.E. Rami Hamdallah.