Sword must be returned

So France is doing us a big favour, as a token of our friendship, by offering to lend us De Vallette’s dagger and sword, for a limited period during the time Valletta is celebrated as the cultural capital city of Europe in 2018.

It sounds rather arrogant and haughty to lend us what has been stolen from us. We are indisputably the rightful and legal owners of the invaluable arms in question presented by Russia to De Vallette after sorting out the Turkish forces besieging the island.

What right has France to keep in its possession this inestimable treasure acquired illegally through an act of aggression and war against a virtually undefended Maltese territory?

If such an obscene act and attitude is accepted and condoned by civilised nations, this would mean that any treasures looted by the victorious armies in all Europe during World War II including of course, from France, should have been retained perpetually by the victors as war-booty.

Such line of action is surely totally unacceptable, unfair and logically irrational for the very obvious reason that the retaining country has no claim whatsoever on such property that is not hers but that was stolen and appropriated through force of arms.

France should, while expressing due apologies, immediately and unconditionally return to us all stolen goods and treasures which are ours as of right legally and morally. This is part of our invaluable inheritance bequeathed us by the knights of St John and must be exposed and cared for where it belongs and where it was under the ownership and care entrusted to our forefathers.

Should France insist on not following the correct approach about its illegal acquisitions of our treasures, both sides of the House should unite to take up the cudgels by forwarding the dispute to the EU for resolution. Da Vallette’s sword and dagger are invaluable heirlooms which we revere and respect as much as we do the George Cross and which represent and commemorate major battles won by the Maltese that helped save and preserve our European identity.