Daniel Azzopardi will soon be ending his tenure as Malta’s Ambassador to Spain. Announcing the end of his journey on LinkedIn, Mr Azzopardi looked back on the past four years “with profound pride and gratitude.”
Subsequently, Mr Azzopardi noted six key highlights in his journey: Re-establishing direct connectivity between Malta and Spain, boosting business and tourism, cultural and celebrity engagement, the Camino Maltés de Santiago de Compostela, sports diplomacy, educational collaboration and consular services.
The Ambassador noted the reintroduction of KM Malta Airlines’ direct flights to Madrid, “which has seen outstanding traffic in both directions.”
“Recognising that connectivity is vital for a thriving EU internal market, we have seen a notable increase in business activities and tourism,” he continued.
Mr Azzopardi noted that, in collaboration with Malta Tourism Authority, the embassy worked to continue expanding the Spanish tourism market in Malta, “seeing a rapid post-COVID-19 recovery.”
Furthermore, he remarked that throughout his tenure, the embassy worked with some of Spain and Latin America’s most prominent celebrities and VIPs to promote Malta.
“Many of them have fallen in love with our beautiful country, becoming lifelong ‘amigos de Malta’, further enhancing Malta’s profile in Spain and beyond,” Mr Azzopardi remarked.
He also made reference to a unique initiative that was born through the collaboration of key partners like XirCamini NGO, Heritage Malta, Xunta de Galicia and Visit Malta, the Camino Maltés de Santiago de Compostela.
This is a pilgrimage route connecting Malta to Galicia. So far, over 500 pilgrims from 17 countries have embarked on the journey, with a recent group of international maritime pilgrims sailing the route from Malta to Spain.
“A magical journey which could be a niche for Malta,” he remarked.
In addition, Mr Azzopardi noted the introduction of elite Madrid-based football clubs to Malta like Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, which have introduced an official supporters’ club and completed its first training camp for children respectively.
“We have also brought some of Spain’s and the world’s leading educational institutions, such as IE University, into closer contact with Malta, resulting in a valuable Memorandum of Understanding with MCAST,” he said.
And finally, he stated that he is particularly proud of the “excellent consular services” the embassy provided to Maltese citizens in Spain, ensuring that their needs were met.
Wrapping up his thoughts, Mr Azzopardi noted that he had the privilege to visit all 17 of the autonomous communities making up Spain, a country with whom Malta shares more than 500 years of history.
“I am confident that the friendship between our nations will continue to flourish and yield results within the European Union and on the global stage. ¡Muchas gracias y hasta luego!” Daniel Azzopardi concluded.
