The enduring bilateral ties be-tween Malta and the United Arab Emirates were among the topics for discussion when H.H. Pres-ident Sheikh Mohamed met with Mal-tese President George Vella, on an of-ficial visit to the UAE in June this year.As the countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two leaders discussed the oppor- tunities for new collaborations – espe-cially in energy, digital development and the green economy – that would benefit both nations in the future. With sustainability and the impact of climate change on smaller nations high on the agenda at COP28 this week, talks also included exploring how the nations could cooperate fur-ther to strengthen the international re-sponse to the threat of environmentalchanges and other global challenges.