President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited San Anton Palace for official talks with President George Vella. The Portuguese president was in Malta to participate at the Meeting for the EU Non-Executive Heads of State, also referred to as the ‘Arraiolos Group’, which was hosted and chaired by President Vella on the 6th of October.
President Rebelo de Sousa complimented President Vella on the timeliness of the meeting and the choice of items placed on the agenda. Despite the evident need to discuss the war in Ukraine, other issues of a regional and global nature, such as post-COVID recovery, energy security, climate change and migration, were also delved upon. It was also very important that a sense of unity prevailed.
President Vella wished every success to his Portuguese counterpart as he will be hosting the Arraiolos meeting in Portugal next year. In 2023, the group will celebrate twenty years since its creation in 2003, with the first-ever host being the former, late President Jorge Sampaio.
Source: Office of the Prime Minister