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