James Cummings speaks to three Maltese international experts and asks: where does Malta go from here?

From hosting world leaders in Ta’ Qali to navigating delicate ceasefires in Gaza, 2024 saw tiny Malta punching far above its weight on the international stage. But as the world grows increasingly volatile, questions are emerging about whether Malta’s traditional approach is still fit for purpose and if the concept of neutrality should be revised.

The fallouts from Russia’s onslaught against its neighbour, Ukraine and Israel’s constant pounding of Gaza has reignited the cold war dynamics.

When Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Malta earlier this month for the OSCE ministerial summit, his rhetoric was hardly conciliatory. He said the West’s anti-tank weapons and barbed wire in Ukraine were a “reincarnation of the cold war, only now with a much greater risk of a transition to a hot one”.

As chair of the OSCE, the world’s largest security organisation, Malta was left to tackle the delicate diplomatic tightrope. Meanwhile, in New York, with a seat on the UN Security Council, Malta played a key role in at least two resolutions to secure a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza and protect children in conflict zones.

Times of Malta spoke to experts who agreed the country had performed well but were divided over how Malta should manage its long-held neutrality in an increasingly unstable world.

‘Time to re-examine’ Malta’s neutrality

Julian Vassallo: ‘Ukraine is also our war.’

EU diplomat Julian Vassallo described Malta’s involvement in the UN Security Council as a “big deal” following a long absence from the UN’s most powerful organ.

As a young Maltese diplomat, Vassallo covered the UN Security Council from 1999 to 2003, serving at the permanent representation in New York. While noting “limits to the power” of rotating countries on the council, with permanent members UK, US, France, Russia and China often “pre-cooking” the agenda, he stressed “it was very good we were back there”.

Vassallo added that Malta’s term on the council had been steered well by Malta’s permanent representative to the UN, Vanessa Frazier, whom he described as a “very talented ambassador”.

Speaking in his personal capacity, Vassallo said the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe was in “serious trouble and has been for a while”, describing chairing the organisation a “thankless job” but one that was important to have taken on.

“Russia continues to block important appointments, and differences between member states are now so big... It’s the act of a responsible actor on the international scene to take on a job like that,” he said, echoing comments to Times of Malta by Malta’s OSCE ambassador, Natasha Meli Daudey, earlier this month.

While explaining Malta’s neutrality may have made it easier for Russia to accept the island to assume the chair’s role, Vassallo said the concept of neutrality was now being challenged, amid the invasion of Ukraine.

The Brussels-based diplomat, who has served in countries like Turkey and the Philippines, says it is time to re-examine the issue.Noting Malta’s pride of its “history of resistance” in the Great Siege and, later, World War II, Vassallo suggested the Maltese were now shrinking away from similar action.

“Rather than follow the tradition of those chapters we are so proud of, we appear more inclined to stay in the shadows, the sidelines, not sticking our neck out – even as Russia seeks to change the borders of Europe by force for the first time since the World War II.

A soldier on a military vessel in Malta’s Grand Harbour.

“We need to ask ourselves: ‘Is this who we are?’ Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Maybe we have more in common with countries that are quite happy to make money on the side while others fight their wars. It’s a question. Because, make no mistake; Ukraine is also our war.

”Vassallo thinks Malta should reconsider its position outside of the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) group of European countries that coordinate on defence issues.He explained that while Malta and Denmark had both opted out of the group originally, the latter had changed its position in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

“Malta cannot be the only one out,” said Vassallo, noting other neutral countries, such as Ireland, were also PESCO members.

“Neutrality should not be a barrier to us joining, and we really must avoid being seen as not caring about what’s going on. It is a serious anomaly that needs to be addressed.”

Vassallo also thinks Malta should not be afraid to make itself difficult and wield its voting power in the EU on Gaza, which, he said, had led the Union to “lose credibility with the countries of the increasingly important Global South”.

“This discrepancy in our attitude towards the Middle East and Ukraine has clearly dented our ability to gain support from those countries in the Global South that we badly need to join our sanctions on Russia and make Putin pay a stiff price for his terrible actions.

“Being a small country, Malta must be very circumspect in choosing when to wield its veto. It is a big responsibility but there are moral imperatives with respect to Gaza,” he said.

“We would not be using it to further our own selfish national interests but to keep to the EU true to its values and uphold the rules-based international order, which the EU rightly insists on with respect to Russia/Ukraine.”

Vassallo said Malta’s “trump card up its sleeve” was recognising a Palestinian state, noting several other European countries had done so in the past few months.

“Malta still has that card to play,” he said.

Neutral countries ‘needed’

Evarist Bartolo: ‘We should not go there.’

Former foreign minister Evarist Bartolo stressed that neutral countries were now needed more than ever before. He said Malta had served in its own small way as “a place for enemies to meet... and we shouldn’t undermine that”.

He emphasised that “as one of the most exposed countries in the world in terms of trade and business”, Malta needs to be on good terms with as many countries as possible, while describing the war in Ukraine as “already lost”.

“Technologically and logistically, no one needs Malta; our strategic position in a military role is totally obsolete,” he said. 

“So, let’s play to our advantage and concentrate on trade, investment, tourism and do our bit as a place where leaders can meet,” said Bartolo, pointing to the famous Gorbachev-Bush meeting in 1989.

Describing Malta as posing no threat to anyone, playing no part of military alliances or hosting military bases of foreign powers, Bartolo called moves to militarise Europe “the biggest challenge we face in the coming years”.

“There is increased pressure now to get citizens to accept more money spent on war,” he said, stressing the EU was moving to a “war economy mode”.

“We should not go there; we’re too small to make any significant contribution.”

Bartolo warned, meanwhile, that Malta should instead look to how the “economic crisis in Germany and the political crisis in France” will impact the EU and Malta.

The former foreign minister also warned against closer integration with NATO.

“The biggest minus of the year for me was when a NATO delegation visited Malta in January to align our armed forces more with NATO... I think this is not a good idea,” he said.

He added that Malta’s decision to sign up to the alliance’s Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes (ITPP) – “the main tool that NATO uses to coordinate its cooperation with partners”, according to the organisation’s website – was “not good” even if the country did not formally join the alliance.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meeting with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial summit in Ta'Qali, Malta. Photo: AFP

Turning to the European Commission, Bartolo questioned the effectiveness of the new commissioner for the Mediterranean post, stressing it will only make a difference if the EU takes seriously the North African countries in the Mediterranean and Africa as a whole.

Despite the EU facing a demographic crisis, with millions of jobs vacant due to a manpower shortage, “we [the EU] never discuss a rational policy on how to manage migration and employment economic development at the same time”, he said.

“There have been politicians who have spoken about us being ‘invaded’ and our identity changing, instead of having a rational discussion on how you manage it,” he said, stressing the need to balance residents’ concerns and avoid “overcrowding”.

While acknowledging that, next year, Malta “won’t be on the international radar like before”, with its posts on the UNSC and OSCE ending this month, Bartolo said the country should use “quiet diplomacy and work to get to get things done in a peaceful manner”.

Asked what he thinks the country’s priorities should be during its presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers next year, Bartolo said Malta should use its role to try and avert military action.

Tonio Borg: ‘We did not use our Mediterranean credentials enough.’

Former European commissioner and foreign minister Tonio Borg said that while Malta had been “present” internationally, “we did not use our Mediterranean credentials enough”, stressing Malta’s location was “part of our identity”.

Pointing to the recent appointment of Croatian politician Dubravka Šuica as the EU’s first commissioner for the Mediterranean, Borg questioned why the post had not gone to Malta instead.

On Malta’s neutrality, Borg said he was against NATO membership but not cooperation, noting Malta’s absence from the organisation had been the “fruit of political compromise”.

He added Malta’s neutrality was “only of the military type; no military bases in Malta and no membership of military alliances. This should be made clear in the constitution”.