'Don't believe the rumours': US embassy rejects reports it will close
Leaked White House document showed some 27 US diplomatic missions – including Malta - were facing closure
Updated 1.20pm
The United States embassy in Malta has rejected reports it could close down due to budget cuts.
Writing on X, the embassy said Friday: “Don't believe the rumors: Embassy Malta is not closing. We continue to operate normally and proudly represent the American people”
The statement follows comments earlier this week from US chargé d’affaires to Malta Ken Toko, who had downplayed fears the embassy could close, telling reporters that the suggestion was “jumping the gun”.
The US has had a permanent presence in Malta since 1964. Today, its embassy employs dozens of people, including Maltese nationals and is, by far, the biggest embassy building in Malta.
Uncertainty over the embassy’s future presence in Malta were sparked on Tuesday when multiple international outlets reported that a leaked White House document showed some 27 US diplomatic missions – including Malta - were facing closure amid deep federal funding cuts.
News of the possible closure sparked concern among diplomats and experts, who described the possible move as baffling and potentially damaging to long-standing bilateral ties.
Former US ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, who served in the post between 2012 and 2016, had called Malta’s inclusion on the list “a shock and a questionable decision”.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has yet to comment on the rumours, earlier this week telling Times of Malta, “on such matters, states engage formally through diplomatic channels not via media statements.”
US President Donald Trump has nominated former model, philanthropist and advertising executive Somers Farkas for the post of US ambassador to Malta, who is awaiting senate approval before taking up the position.
The prospective closures – which reportedly included the closure of Luxembourg’s embassy and consulates across Europe – were said to be part of sweeping funding cuts to the US State Department totalling around $30 billion, around half its budget.
Financial support for international peacekeeping was also set to be curtailed, along with funding for educational and cultural exchanges like the Fulbright Program, one of the most prestigious US scholarships.
Formerly in Floriana, in 2011 the US embassy moved to sprawling new premises in Ta’ Qali covering 10 acres of land acquired from the Maltese government five years earlier for €14.6 million.
Should the US choose to keep the embassy open, it would not be the first time Trump has U-turned on an issue, recently reversing on aggressive tariffs announced against a host of trading partners.
'Resorting to alarmism'
Responding to the news, the Labour Party said in a statement that it noted "with satisfaction" that the US embassy would remain open.
The party said the embassy's statement showed the "wisdom of the Labour government," which it said "did not fall into a trap of rumour" but instead continuing to pursue a foreign policy based on dialogue under minister Ian Borg.
Using the opportunity to take a swipe at the Opposition Nationalist Party, which it suggested had "resorted to alarmism in the media," the PL said it was regrettable the PN "used every opportunity to attack Malta and Gozo, including by using unconfirmed allegations to try to frighten and alarm people".
In a statement earlier this week the PN had called on the government to clarify its position, saying the closing of the embassy would be a "big step backwards in relations between Malta and the United States, and an expression of a lack of faith in the Maltese government".