Continuity and consensus in foreign policy

Foreign Minister George Vella’s pledge that this country’s foreign policy will be based on continuity is, of course, to be welcomed. Addressing ambassadors accredited to Malta recently, Dr Vella said there would be no great policy shake-ups and promised to carry on with the broad objectives and policies of the previous Nationalist Administration.

Promising continuity, however, does not mean not coming up with new initiatives or policies. Amending Malta’s constitutional neutrality clause, for example, is a major foreign policy challenge for the new Government. Dr Vella said in his speech to the diplomats that neutrality would continue to be a central platform of the country’s foreign policy but it would be redefined during an eventual constitutional assembly.

Hopefully, the two parties will arrive at a consensus over how the country’s neutrality should be reshaped, one that fully takes into account our obligations as a European Union member State and a member of the Partnership for Peace programme as well as the fact that the Cold War ended almost 25 years ago.

The Foreign Minister made it clear that the Government wanted to further entrench Malta’s position within the EU, but that would not mean remaining silent. “We are in no way sceptics but we will fight our ground within the EU on issues such as tax harmonisation and greater member State solidarity on migration issues,” he said.

Such an approach is sensible and augurs well for the consolidation of the country’s cross-party consensus on EU matters. It is also ironic, considering Dr Vella’s past opposition to EU membership, but is nevertheless positive as it shows that Malta’s divisions over the EU are truly a thing of the past.

Dr Vella emphasised that the Foreign Ministry and the newly-created Europe Ministry will work closely together in the run-up to Malta’s six-month stint at the helm of the EU presidency in 2017. This is a major challenge for the country as a whole, and requires a massive joint effort by the Government and Opposition, as well as civil society, to make it an event we can all be proud of.

The Government should involve not only the Opposition in the preparations but also make use of the expertise of as many people as possible, including from outside the public sector, who should be chosen on the basis of their ability and not partisan affiliations.

Dr Vella also pointed out that the establishment of an EU Affairs Ministry would give the Foreign Ministry more space to strengthen relations with non-EU Mediterranean neighbours and countries such as the US, India, Brazil and China. There is certainly scope to strengthen such relations,and one augurs that investment from these countries into Malta will be forthcoming.

We hope Malta will continue to be a voice for multilateral engagement within EU foreign policy circles. It should press for Europe to take a more active role in the Middle East peace process and the Arab Spring and to insist that Christian minorities in Muslim countries are given full freedom of worship.

The Government should press for a solution to the appalling tragedy in Syria. It was right to recognise the Syrian Opposition National Coalition as the sole legal representative of the people of Syria but it should consider more measures, at an EU level, against the Damascus regime.

As an EU member, Malta’s foreign policy does carry some weight; the Government should therefore not shy away from speaking on issues of global importance, such as the latest crisis on the Korean peninsula where it can use its excellent relations with China to urge Beijing to exert pressure on North Korea to behave in accordance with its UN obligations.