Malta’s foreign policy will be marked by a sense of continuity and greater emphasis on economic diplomacy, Foreign Minister George Vella told ambassadors this morning.
Dr Vella also indicated that the Government would be assessing the work of its various overseas embassies to ensure Malta was “maximising its returns from our limited resources”.
“We want to make embassies more fruitful with ambassadors who are more commercially-minded and embassies that serve as shop windows to our cultural identity,” the minister said.
He explained the Government’s decision to separate EU affairs from other foreign relations, saying it stemmed from the administration’s desire to deepen Malta’s EU membership further.
Bilateral relations, including those between Malta and countries which are also EU member states, would continue to be part of the foreign affairs ministerial portfolio, Dr Vella said.
The foreign affairs and EU affairs ministries would cooperate closely in the run-up to Malta’s 2017 EU presidency, he added. Some 1,500 meetings take place in any six-month stint as head of the European Council – “a mammoth task for us which will require every bit of diplomatic expertise we have,” the minister said.
He argued that having a separate EU affairs ministry would allow the foreign ministry to dedicate more time to bilateral relations, making Malta’s voice heard within the Mediterranean region and exploring diplomatic opportunities further ashore, with countries such as Brazil, India and the United States.
Dr Vella thanked his predecessor, Francis Zammit Dimech, for a courtesy call he had made. He also urged ambassadors to not get hung up on the sequence of diplomatic visits.
He said he would be giving up his seat as rapporteur for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean’s ad hoc Middle East committee.
Neutrality would continue to be a key principle underpinning Malta’s international relations, he added.
“We believe in transparency, and we will be working hard to ensure it at all levels. And while we are in no way sceptics, we will fight our ground within the EU on issues such as tax harmonisation and greater member state solidarity on migration issues,” Dr Vella said.