The great challenges of our times are migration, terrorism, climate change, and tackling them in a spirit of cooperation built on trust, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today.
He was speaking at a conference marking the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki conference on cooperation and security in Europe. That conference is best remembered for the way it was held up by Dom Mintoff until delegates agreed to link security and cooperation in Europe with that of the Mediterranean.
Dr Busuttil said some of the goals the Helsinki process set out to achieve have now been long achieved and superseded.
What was in 1975 Communist Eastern Europe behind the iron curtain was now fully integrated in the European Union covering West and East, Northern and Southern Europe.
"The Helsinki Final Act is proof of what can be achieved when states decide to focus on common efforts rather than on their differences. It was an agreement between parties which knew that opposing views would not change in the near future but agreed to work together on a change for the better. The Helsinki Final Act is a true testament of diplomatic achievements," he said.
"Along with the then Yugoslavia, Malta had insisted on the inclusion of a chapter on the Mediterranean in the Helsinki Final Act," Dr Busuttil recalled.
"Malta had argued, rightly, that there can be no security in Europe without security in the Mediterranean. But it will not come as a surpise to you that I tell you that the brinkmanship that the Mintoff Government used at the time to achieve the inclusion of this chapter was not a style that I share. As a colleague told me just this morning, it was a textbook case of how to win a battle and lose a war. Indeed, the Mediterranean chapter in the Final Act was largely ignored and a look at the state of affairs around us in the region attests to this. Sadly our region still struggles in sea of turbulence."
This, Dr Busuttil said, was truly a time that showed that there could be no peace in Europe without peace in the Mediterranean.
Listing the challenges ahead, he said the situation in Greece was hugely worrying.
"When leaders push countries to the brink and then pull it back at the last minute they create a situation that produces much drama and short-term popularity but really does not work. Hopefully, we can get some good news about this tomorrow during the European Council meeting," he said.
Another long-standing challenge in the Mediterranean was Cyprus, still divided after 41 years, a division that would soon have been longer than the post-war division of Europe.
The Palestinian problem was constantly in and out of the news. "It is difficult to speak about the challenges faced in the Mediterranean without underlining the need for renewed impetus to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. We need to reposition the discussion back towards a two-state solution, with both States living within secure and guaranteed borders, recognising each other’s sovereignty and the right to peaceful coexistence. A good dose of the Helsinki Decalogue can guide a new peace process in the Middle East," Dr Busuttil said.
He said the conflict in Syria had compounded the problems in the Med, being a humanitarian crisis in itself and hugely affecting immigration.
Closer to home was the crisis in Libya.
"This is where we can contribute from a position of trust and where we also stand to benefit if progress is achieved. Malta’s size can make it a trusted partner with our long and fruitful relationship with Libya. Malta needs to use this position to build bridges not only between the different factions in Libya but also between Libya and Europe.
"We Maltese are in a unique position to help both sides within Libya and internationally. We are also in a unique position to benefit economically and security-wise of any improvement there should be in Libya. But in the guiding light of several of the principles of the Helsinki Accords, it has to be the Libyan people who should be trusted to be masters of their own destiny."
Dr Busuttil also spoke on the crisis in Ukraine. "Russia needs to instil trust. But it has done very little to re-instil trust since the annexation of Crimea last year."
Turning to migration, terrorism and climate change, Dr Busuttil said it was very disappointing that the European Council in its latest meeting specifically about immigration didn’t arrive at a mandatory solution. It was even more disappointing that the voluntary mechanism did not even cover Malta and Malta was now taking around 300 migrants from other European countries rather than having its own burden alleviated.
"It is clear that the summit did not take into account the cumulative effect of a decade of disproportionate numbers arriving here as well as the size of our territory and our very high population density."
On terrorism, he said Malta could not fight terrorism on its own. Terrorism needed a regional as well as a global response to terrorism.
"But we can certainly play our part. Joining like-minded states in a non-military capacity does not undermine our neutrality. You cannot be neutral between the fire and the fire-engine,"
Climate change, he continued, was one of the biggest challenges of our time.
"Climate change fuels migration. It also affects tourism and low-lying coastal areas. Again, we cannot but engage with other states throughout the region and the world to face this challenge in a spirit of cooperation built on trust.
"These are the challenges that we must overcome and it would serve our national interest to do so in conjunction with other like-minded countries, such as the family of European nations that are part of the European Union," he said.
"In so doing, however, we can learn from the historic legacy that has been left to us by the Helsinki Accord. And it is our responsibility today to ensure that the success of this legacy is emulated in our Mediterranean neighbourhood."