Today, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta’s Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Giampaolo Cantini, received at the Magistral Palace Michael Brand, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany. The meeting testifies to the strong ties of friendship and cooperation between Germany and the Order of Malta, developed since the 19th century through close collaboration in the humanitarian, health, and social fields and which were sealed in 2017 when diplomatic relations were established.

The German government’s important support for the Order of Malta’s activities was emphasized, both internationally through the Malteser International relief agency and in Germany, where it operates through a dense network of entities/organizations and a relief corps, now a consolidated presence in the German health and social care sector.

The talks centred on the Order of Malta’s global engagement in crisis areas, with a particular focus on humanitarian aid in Ukraine – where the Order is present with medical, psychological and logistical support programmes for the population – and in the Middle East, with healthcare interventions and the distribution of basic necessities to support the civilian communities in Gaza and Lebanon.

As Federal Government Commissioner against Antiziganism and for the Lives of Sinti and Roma in Germany, Secretary of State Brand was also interested in the Order’s programmes in favour of Roma communities, a concrete commitment which the Order develops by coordinating centres specializing in educational and social activities in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Croatia, Albania and Austria.