The Palace, Valletta
15 January 2024
Honourable Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Ian Borg,
Permanent Secretary,
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,
Excellencies,
I welcome you for this annual occasion to exchange New Year’s Greetings.
This is the second time we are meeting in this format at the Valletta Palace, which as you can all appreciate, has undergone extensive renovation works and has been brought back to its original grandeur.
I thank the Nunzio for his very generous words in my regard.
I am truly humbled by this manifestation of respect and esteem.
As I am sure you are aware, this is the last time I will be addressing you in this capacity, as my Presidency term comes to an end in April.
I therefore want to make use of this auspicious occasion to thank you, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, resident in Malta or accredited from other capitals, for the support and cooperation, which you have extended to me and my officials during these five years in Office.
In my political career, I have visited most of your countries, one way or the other, and kindly ask you to convey my sincere appreciation for the hospitality, respect and warmth with which I have always been received by your Heads of State and government authorities.
My exchanges with counterparts from across the globe have brought immeasurable insights and knowledge to my Presidency, which placed international affairs at the heart of its operations, from day one.
As a matter of fact, only a few weeks away from the termination of my tenure, I want to take this opportunity to expand upon my reflections on the present state of global politics.
From our regular meetings, you can easily surmise that I am a firm supporter of world order that rests on effective multilateralism, even when, as we are witnessing at present, the challenges abound.
Coming from a small vulnerable island nation, with a very geo-strategic location, I fully appreciate the relevance of a multilateral system where countries are all considered equal, irrespective of size, wealth and military strength.
As a nation that constantly advocates for peace and security, the promotion of respectful exchanges between nations and the pursuit of multilateral solidarity around the globe have been the basic tenets underpinning Malta’s foreign policy since our country’s Independence in 1964.
We have carried this vocation with us throughout the years, in all the pertinent international and regional fora, with a vision that harbours no self-centred ambitions, interests, or other ulterior motives, beyond that of security.
While it was enshrined in our Constitution in a very different international setting, our neutrality remains relevant in today’s context.
There were questions posed as to how our neutrality would impinge or obstruct our work as a non-permanent seat holder on the United Nations Security Council.
The answer to that question lies in facts and results accomplished since we assumed that role.
Neutrality does not, in any way, hinder the hard work that a country can carry out in that international forum.
This is what our country is in fact, very successfully, doing.
Malta’s record thus far has amply shown that the status of neutrality, when properly exercised, is a valuable tool in the hands of those who work for justice and peace; in the hands of those who want to seek agreement, by peaceful and diplomatic means.
Our hands-on implementation is very different from how some might conveniently interpret ‘neutrality’, portraying it as some political position that ties one’s hand, and forces you even to look the other way from abuses, provocation and aggression, sitting on the proverbial ‘fence’.
We have done this on the two very troubling circumstances we have experienced and continue to experience during our UN Security Council tenure; the unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Where there was a need to condemn, we condemned; where there was a need to defend, we defended; and where there was a need to impose sanctions and other restrictive measures, we imposed them; always within the parameters enshrined in our Constitution.
Suffice to mention Malta’s recent unstinting efforts to pass UN Resolution 2712 by the Security Council that led, among other measures, to a brief pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
I cannot allow today’s occasion to pass without reiterating my total, unqualified condemnation of the killing of innocent people, irrespective of who the perpetrator is, while also making my sincere plea to whoever wields the power to do so, to stop the ongoing massacre of innocent people, particularly of children.
As I did last year, I want to convey my full and heartfelt support to the leadership and people of Ukraine, who have been going through death, separation and destruction at the whim of an aggressor.
I once again categorically condemn Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, which goes against all the cardinal principles of international norms and standards.
There should be no space, at all in our thinking, for the notion that ‘might is right’.
I repeat my strong and unreserved condemnation of the barbaric attacks carried out by Hamas on innocent Israeli civilians on 7 October.
However, in the same breath and equally strongly, I condemn the retaliation without any sense of proportion being conducted by Israel, on the people of Gaza.
I ask myself what more are we to witness, when we have already seen hospitals and churches being bombed with people sheltering inside; thousands of babies and children shell-shocked or being buried, children becoming orphaned and seeing desperate parents begging for scraps of food or some water for their children not to starve to death in front of their eyes?
There is a limit to everything. Enough is enough.
Excellencies,
We have also to keep in mind other wars and conflicts that are creating great hardships and suffering, such as the war in Sudan.
Against this troubled backdrop, any multilateral organisation depends on the work and commitment of all its member states, be they big or small.
Words are not enough.
It is this drive which has shaped Malta’s sound credentials, manifested currently as elected members of the United Nations Security Council for the term 2023-2024.
It is also for this reason that Malta accepted the request to assume the Chairpersonship responsibilities of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe for the year 2024.
We are proud to rise once again to the occasion and help avoid an unprecedented leadership vacuum in the world’s largest security and cooperation organisation.
Allow me at this juncture, to open a parenthesis to commend and salute Minister Ian Borg – and through him all our dedicated diplomats and officials – for the vision and determination with which Malta is leaving an indelible mark on the global scene.
Excellencies,
As you all know, Malta has a longstanding history of involvement in Mediterranean politics.
Our geographical location, exactly at the heart of the Mediterranean, dictates that we put a premium on the region’s stability and security.
Regrettably, a great number of the world’s crises have their origin in this basin – the Israel-Palestine conflict, the war in Syria, instability in Libya and its serious repercussions in the Sahel, the spread of terrorism, illegal arms and drug shipment, the refugee crisis, to mention but a few.
Together with other counterparts in our region, I have regularly spoken of how the international community has, time and time again, failed to recognise the urgency of tensions in the Mediterranean.
A pattern of reactive responses has emerged over the years, with action being taken only when it was too little, and too late.
We see this at times in the European Union, with apparent divisions between the Member States themselves hindering the bloc from taking the lead when it comes to issues pertaining to its Southern Neighbours.
This applies to the Migration dossier where strong divergences between individual EU Member States are still evident and risk becoming more and more entrenched with the rise of populist discourse in various quarters.
The number of irregular migrants along the Mediterranean route is simply not sustainable.
From our perspective as a frontline Member State, we can say that the much spoken about solidarity at the EU level has been lacking when it comes to migration.
Over the course of recent years, we have demonstrated that Europe can emerge from successive crises stronger when it is united – the COVID-19 Pandemic was one such instance.
In a time where our values and ideals are threatened by war and turmoil, we must continue to believe in, and to strive towards, a stronger European Union.
This brings me to the issue of European Union Enlargement, which in my view remains the most powerful foreign policy tool at the EU’s disposal. The progress registered over the last year in this area is promising and I hope that this momentum in the enlargement process is sustained.
At the same time, I strongly believe that the EU should treat all interlocutors equally, without appearing to establish a precedent by creating a fast-track approach for specific partners.
It remains important that the process remains a merit-based one, rooted in sustainable reforms and in the attainment of the recommendations made in regular Enlargement reports by the EU.
Excellencies,
The world of the future is already one fraught with serious dangers.
We have no other choice but to prepare ourselves and upcoming generations for trials yet to come.
Foremost among these is undoubtedly the environmental challenge.
Our climate is falling apart.
This is an existential challenge which continues to push entire communities around the world to the brink of collapse.
I make specific reference to the many vulnerable small island nations, who face the risk of becoming entirely submerged under water due to sea level rise.
Malta has been urging the international community to tackle the impacts of sea level rise on small island states as far back as 1988, when it presented its initiative on climate change at the 43rd session of the UN General Assembly.
Thirty-six years later, we continue to urge immediate and effective action on this looming threat.
True to this commitment, last year Malta organised a signature event at the Security Council to raise awareness on the consequences of sea level rise on international peace and security.
Closer to home, the impact of a changing climate could be felt encroaching upon us, with devastating floods and wildfires across the Mediterranean during last summer – providing us with a stark indication and warning of things to come.
Current projections on climate change foresee a temperature rise of way beyond the maximum 2 degrees Centigrade, put down in the Paris COP 21 agreement of 2015.
Evidently, we need to boost renewable energy capacity, increase carbon capture technologies, while re-absorbing carbon that is already in the atmosphere, and phasing out fossil fuel usage.
In the meantime, on a humanitarian level, war and climate change continue to pose a serious risk to poverty reduction and threaten to undo decades of development efforts, as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
At such times, the risk of inaction makes the situation worse, especially for those decision-makers to whom we will be passing the baton – the young and future generations.
It becomes our task as leaders and policymakers, to revive and give new impetus to people’s and governments’ collective will and determination to address these problems and bring about the necessary change.
Firstly, conflict resolution and mediation efforts must become our collective priority.
We need to make sustained progress in addressing ongoing conflicts. Wars should, and always do, end in negotiation and compromise. We need to be formulating diplomatic endgames to reach negotiated settlements to conflicts.
We need to revive our talk of peace, dialogue and disarmament.
There seems to be a fear out there, that any mention of these ideals is tantamount to being naïve, or head-in-the-air pacifist.
At the same time, we are faced with international waves of populist rhetoric that continue to provoke an inward retreat and further entrenchment towards protectionist policies.
Multilateral cooperation cannot work unless people are at the centre of decision-making mechanisms. We must renew our commitment to bring the citizens closer to the process and eventual ownership of the decisions that affect them in their day-to-day lives.
Equally important is the urgent need to restore the central role of diplomacy.
We manage our problems more intelligently when we engage in constructive dialogue instead of resorting to the use of force.
However, diplomacy cannot be effective if interlocutors feel that they are not being treated equally, respected, appraised and “talked to” rather than “dictated to”.
In our diplomatic outreach, sometimes we need to be humble and recognize that we might come across as patronising, despite the good intentions.
Exchanges with counterparts must always be driven by a yearning to understand, opening our horizons to our interlocutor’s viewpoints.
Ideas cannot be imposed onto others in a vertical manner.
We can only reach understanding through dialogue – amongst equals.
You, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, are the best placed agents to bring about this paradigm shift.
I know that this appeal is not lost on you.
Excellencies,
My very final word is one of thanks for the support you have provided to me and my team during this Presidency.
These five years have not always been easy, as numerous challenges emerged along the way.
Yet through it all, I can say hand on heart, that my meetings and encounters with most of you have been both rewarding and fulfilling.
Some of you have become very familiar faces who actively supported or cooperated with my Office in organising several initiatives, campaigns or symposia.
I know my wife Miriam joins me in thanking you for the backing and assistance you gave us both to sustain the very delicate work carried by the Malta Community Chest Fund.
For us both, it has been an honour to serve our country, and we were privileged to rely on your valuable encouragement, in doing so.
I urge you to keep up this spirit of cooperation and trust with my successor, thus further strengthening the relations between our respective countries.
I wish you, your families and your dear ones all best wishes for the year 2024, and beyond.
Thank you.
