Malta has condemned the latest developments in Crimea and called for the full respect of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Minister in Brussels today, Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further provocative actions and immediately diffuse the situation.
The minister expressed Malta's full support for further political dialogue to prevail, noting that provocative rhetoric could easily spiral the situation out of control.
He called for the full observance of the UN Charter and relevant international agreements, as well as the provisions of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum of Understanding and other agreements.
Dr Vella urged the international community to resort to all available diplomatic tools to ensure the full observance of bilateral treaties between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and supported an EU role in facilitating contact between the two sides.
He stated that all channels of dialogue with Moscow should be utilised, including through important interlocutors such as the OSCE and Council of Europe.
At the same time, the EU should encourage the Ukrainian Government to engage in all-inclusive dialogue which took into account the concerns of all minorities within its territory. Malta, he said, fully supports the possibility of the EU forming part of an international mediation mission.
With respect to the possibility of targeted measures against Russia, Dr Vella emphasised that the priority should be to stabilise the situation and refrain from any further action that might escalate tensions, rather than build walls. He did not rule out the EU reevaluating the impact that further escalation by Russia could have on future EU-Russia relations.
Dr Vella said the EU should fully support the empowering of Ukrainians to determine their own futures and elect a new Government which had broad support and reflected the aspirations of all Ukrainians.
“It is the Ukrainian people who should determine their future and the EU must stand ready and willing to support their choices, including through financial and economic assistance,” he said.