{"id":58335,"date":"2026-06-16T16:28:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=58335"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:28:36","slug":"malta-welcomes-the-us-iran-agreement-at-the-eu-foreign-affairs-council-it-is-an-opportunity-for-escalation-of-peace-in-the-entire-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/malta-welcomes-the-us-iran-agreement-at-the-eu-foreign-affairs-council-it-is-an-opportunity-for-escalation-of-peace-in-the-entire-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta welcomes the US-Iran agreement at the EU Foreign Affairs Council: &#8220;It is an opportunity for escalation of peace in the entire Middle East&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday Foreign and European Affairs Minister Chris Fearne welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the US and Iran aimed at ending the current tensions in the Middle East and which will lead, among other things, to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Malta recognizes that this is now an opportunity to achieve, instead of an escalation of wars, an escalation of peace across the entire Middle East,&#8221; Minister Fearne told his EU counterparts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minister Fearne also highlighted the importance of more active EU engagement in Palestinian state-building efforts while also highlighting the importance of supporting continued reforms within the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the Foreign Affairs Council, Ministers discussed the latest developments related to Russia&#8217;s war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East &#8211; including the war in Iran and its effects across the region &#8211; and the state of play of relations between the EU and China.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, Malta joined other EU ministries in condemning the overnight Russian attacks on Kiev. While highlighting the importance that the EU remains proactive, Malta emphasized the need to address the presence of the Shadow Fleet in the Mediterranean. This is crucial for maritime safety and security particularly to the EU Mediterranean countries. Minister Fearne stated that a full maritime ban will only be effective with global buy-in, particularly from G7 partners.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the margins of the Foreign Affairs meeting, Minister Fearne also participated in the EU-Egypt Association Council and also held a bilateral meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and with the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Moldova, Cristina Gerasimov.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58337\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58337\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pr261018a.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-58337\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pr261018a-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pr261018a-300x200.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pr261018a-150x100.jpeg 150w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pr261018a.jpeg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58337\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minister for Foreign Affairs Chris Fearne with with the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Moldova, Cristina Gerasimov.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Photos:<\/strong>\u00a0MFE<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_58335\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"58335\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" 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current tensions in the Middle East and which will lead, among other things, to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. &#8220;Malta recognizes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_58335\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"58335\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 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Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Speaking at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday Foreign and European Affairs Minister Chris Fearne welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the US and Iran aimed at ending the current tensions in the Middle East and which will lead, among other things, to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. &#8220;Malta 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