Prime Minister Robert Abela has touched down in New York for a week of engagements surrounding the 81st United Nations General Assembly, and one of his first stops was a visit to the Maltese community in Astoria.Abela shared a reel from the visit, showing moments from his meeting with Maltese and Gozitans living in New York.“We’ve arrived in New York for a week of important engagements at the 81st United Nations General Assembly,” Abela wrote alongside the video.“One of our first stops was a visit to the Maltese and Gozitan community in Astoria, who continue to proudly keep our language, traditions and identity alive in the United States.”Astoria, in Queens, has long been home to members of New York’s Maltese diaspora, and Abela’s visit put the community in the spotlight as his UN trip got underway. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)The Prime Minister is in New York as world leaders gather for the high-level week of the UN General Assembly.This year marks the organisation’s 81st session, with the General Debate taking place between 22nd and 28th September.Nearly 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend in person, with international leaders gathering to discuss some of the biggest issues currently facing the world.For Abela, however, the trip began with a considerably more Maltese affair, meeting members of a community thousands of kilometres away from the islands who continue to keep their Maltese and Gozitan roots alive.•