In an address made by Prime Minister Robert Abela to the country’s ambassadors on diplomatic missions around the world, he stressed that our country’s representatives abroad play an important role in working towards the prosperity of our country.
Dr Abela explained how our country is moving towards a holistic vision for 2050, with intermediate targets for the next ten years. “This is a vision in which we shape where we want to go and this planning for the future cannot be separated from our country’s international priorities,” stressed the Prime Minister. He said that the Maltese economy is based on various sectors including international trade, the tourism product and services such as financial and logistics.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said that over the past year these areas have continued to strengthen in their contribution to national added value and explained how our country’s ambassadors must continue to convey an important message that Malta will remain open to trade, to foreign investment which in Malta will find an ecosystem of industries and services that are easy to adapt to.
The Prime Minister noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now has a tourism department where we have continued to achieve success because Malta is a country founded on the capacity to seize opportunities. Prime Minister Robert Abela explained how our country will continue to serve in the international community with the Presidency of the Council of Europe and said that in the international context in which we are living we must understand that there are different challenges. Here he mentioned the prospect of peace including in the Mediterranean.
He said that Malta’s voice around the world should continue to be heard and our country expects our ambassadors to continue to make this important contribution effectively. Prime Minister Robert Abela concluded by thanking the ambassadors for their skillful and committed work on behalf of the Maltese and Gozitan people.
The Prime Minister was followed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, who pointed out that despite several international challenges, the year 2024 was a remarkable year for Malta on the global stage, and highlighted the country’s achievements in the United Nations Security Council and the OSCE, among others. Malta is now preparing for its six-month Presidency of the Council of Europe, between May and November this year, with an emphasis on the voice of young people, the protection of children and the fight against discrimination and violence.
Looking ahead, Dr Borg said, “We are now beginning preparations to present Malta’s candidacy as a member of the Human Rights Council for the term 2032-2034. Malta has never served on this important Council before, and this candidacy demonstrates our commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for the years to come.”
