Rachita Bhandari appointed India’s next High Commissioner to Malta
New Delhi: MEA said Rachita Bhandari, a 2005 batch member of the Indian Foreign Service, who is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Malta. He is expected to take office shortly.
India and Malta share friendly and cordial relations. India was among the first countries to recognize Malta’s independence in 1964 and established diplomatic ties in 1965. The Indian High Commission in Malta was reopened in January 2017 and the resident High Commissioner took over in January 2018.
Malta opened its High Commission in New Delhi in July 2007 and has honorary consuls in Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. Bilateral relations remained strong thanks to regular visits between the two sides.
The cultural agreement signed in 1992 is still in force. The High Commission organized film festivals, food festivals and performances by Indian cultural societies. Malta also has a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and Malta Post is issuing commemorative stamps on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
International Yoga Day is celebrated regularly in Malta. Indian band ‘Astitva’ performed at the Destination North festival in September 2023. The High Commission also organized the Indian Film Festival in Valletta in March 2024 and Gozo in April 2024, in addition to hosting various Indian festivals with the local community.
The Indian community in Malta is estimated to number around 18,000 and has grown rapidly in recent years. Apart from healthcare, Indians also work in hospitality, construction, IT and related services. Various associations such as Malayalee Association Malta, Tamil Association Malta, Bengali Association Malta, Gujarati Association and Navodaya Sanatan Group were also established.
