German-Maltese relations

German-Maltese relations

Germany	Malta

Germany and Malta have had diplomatic relations since 1965. Both countries are members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , the European Union , the Schengen Area and the Eurozone . Malta is working with NATO on the Partnership for Peace program .

A German embassy opened in Valletta in 1965. Malta has an embassy in Berlin .

The University of Malta has had a full German language course since 2008.

The German-Maltese Society has existed since 1991 and is based in Adenau .

history

Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, Grand Master of the Order of Malta from the Rhineland 1797–1799, ruler of Malta until the French came to power in 1798

In the Middle Ages, Malta was under the rule of the Hohenstaufen from 1194 to 1268 , who at that time were the Roman (German) rulers . In the 16th century, Malta came under the rule of the Roman (German) Emperor Charles V for a short time , who in 1525 offered it as a fief to the Order of St. John , who had been driven out of Rhodes . The order determined the history of the island for the next 268 years and is therefore often called the "Order of Malta".

In 1798 Napoléon Bonaparte and his fleet were sighted off Malta. Under the hitherto only German Grand Master of the Order Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim , the island was surrendered without a fight and the knights left, so that Ferdinand was also the last Grand Master to reside on Malta. After a Maltese uprising, the islands came under the control of Great Britain in 1800 and it remained under its control until 1964.

During the First World War , operations against German submarines were initiated from Malta. During the Second World War , Malta again served the Allies as a base due to its strategically favorable location. The island was hit as a result of over 2000 German and Italian air raids (see Siege of Malta (World War II) ) , which killed more than 1500 Maltese. In 1964, Malta gained independence. In 1965 diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Malta were established. Relations intensified when Malta joined the European Union in 2004.

A new example of German-Maltese relations was the Frontex mission "Nautilus", when Germany supported the Mediterranean country from 2007 to 2009 with helicopters in the search for and rescue of refugees from Maltese waters. Malta is very popular with German tourists: besides the British and Italians, they have the largest contingent of holidaymakers.

See also

• List of German ambassadors in Malta
• Ambassador of the GDR in Malta
• Foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany

Web links

Commons : German-Maltese Relations  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The German Foreign Office on relations with Malta
• The Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on bilateral relations (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ German Embassy Valletta (German and English) . Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 6, 2011. 
2. ^ Embassy of Malta in Berlin (English) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malta, accessed on November 6, 2011
3. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. German Embassy Valletta: Study of German in Malta 
4. ↑ http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/sid_E5FD5F10F886E810855B9176302C1157/DE/Aussenpolitik/Laender/Laenderinfos/Malta/Bilateral_node.html Foreign Office: Relations with Malta