Abela worried by US talk of seizing Greenland

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said he is worried by the prospect of the United States seizing Greenland from Denmark by force.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark is essential for American national security, and that the US will acquire it “the easy way or the hard way”, while refusing to rule out military action.

In a wide-ranging interview on ONE TV with Lovin Malta’s Yannick Pace, Abela expressed concern about the rhetoric being used.

“It’s very worrying, as it involves the territorial integrity of an EU state. Consequently, if Denmark’s sovereignty were to be threatened, certain treaty obligations would come into play,” he said.

Article 42(7) requires EU member states to provide “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” if a member state is the victim of armed aggression, while in theory, an attack on Denmark would also trigger NATO’s collective defence clause, known as Article 5.

Abela said that while he did not agree with everything the current administration did, Malta’s relationship with the US had never been better.

“Diplomacy still has value. It’s the reason why a tiny country like Malta has such a strong relationship with the US,” he said, adding he was not always comfortable with European leaders when it came to the war in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said he was confident Malta had the wisdom and maturity necessary to navigate the current geopolitical realities, as it had done in the past.

“In these difficult moments, you need experienced leadership.  I’m confident that the economy will remain steady and that we are prepared for any eventuality. We already faced disruptions to supply chains during the pandemic.”

‘All MPs should submit the same type of asset declaration’ 

On the domestic front, Abela said reforms relating to MPs’ declarations of assets were ongoing.

Last week, the Standards Commissioner criticised the Prime Minister’s refusal to submit his cabinet’s asset declarations, calling the move a "setback for transparency in public life" that sent a "very negative message". 

“We want to eliminate the distinctions between MPs and ministers, so that everyone has to submit the same declaration,” Abela said. 

Asked whether two years’ worth of currently unpublished declarations would ever be made public, Abela replied that they would. 

‘Talks with MIDI over Manoel Island progressing’ 

Abela said that talks with MIDI regarding Manoel Island were going well. 

“The Lands Authority is working out who owes what to whom. The first step is returning Manoel Island to the public. The most challenging part will be creating the actual park,” he said. 

The PM said consultation on the White Rocks park project had "also begun", and that the government had involved international architecture firm Chapman Taylor in the project.

"The area is so large that we can do a lot with it, but we have to decide what to do with the existing buildings”, he said.

Ta' Qali grass to grow back 'with some intervention'

Asked about the ongoing controversy related to the grass, or lack thereof, at the picnic area in Ta’ Qali, Abela said that while Jason Micallef and his team had done "great work" with the national park as a whole, mistakes had been made when it came to the picnic area. 

“We have to be honest with people – it could be better. We have appointed a local expert, who advised us that while grass will not grow for now, it will in future with some intervention.”