Maltese Foreign Minister George Vella and the Gambian Finance minister Kebba Touray holding brief for the foreign minister signed the agreement in New York following discussions between Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Jahumpa.
The agreement allowed around 80 Gambians who had entered Malta illegally to return to their own country. These meetings were part of the 69th UN General Assembly.
The agreement followed a similar one signed last April between Malta and Nigeria, which repatriated 155 Nigerians who had entered Malta illegally.
Illegal immigration is a big problem for Maltese government, as Malta is on the central Mediterranean route for irregular immigrants to reach southern Europe.
In the first half of 2006, the government’s detention cost is over 700,000 euros (890,400 US dollars), as 967 irregular immigrants arrived there.
Xinhua
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