I became foreign minister weeks after the long cycle of peace in Europe, from May 1945 to February 2022, was shattered by the Russian invasion of its neighbour Ukraine. On October 7, 2023, we witnessed the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which once again set that part of the world aflame.

Despite various unsuccessful attempts by different power brokers to bring the belligerents to the negotiating table, both wars have kept escalating, threatening their respective regions with wider conflicts.

It seems that the cycle of the long peace in Europe has given way to a cycle of violence and conflict. My entry into the realm of international relations was a baptism of fire. Yet, I never shirked away from the arduous challenges of this changing world. There is no such thing as a static world in which specific times and situations are pegged to the hanger in perpetuity.

In life, one must face reality and try one’s best to respond to the challenges of his time. A mariner must sail one’s ship successfully through a tempest in order to earn a reputation. Looking back at these two years serving in the foreign ministry, I can humbly say that, despite being the smallest EU state, despite our relative military nakedness, we have managed not only to sail the tempest but also to lead our vessel safely to its port of destination.

Times of trouble do not only usher wars, conflict and violence but also cause political upheavals, unthinkable up to a few years ago, especially in the western and westernised countries. Take the EU, which, up to the last European Parliament, was run by an EPP-Socialist-Liberal alliance; although it still is, this alliance had to accommodate the Greens to remain in the saddle, and the numbers have changed drastically to favour the extreme right parties.

Take France and Germany, the twin engines of the EU. French political stability has withered away, while the ruling coalition in Berlin has been given a bloody nose. Take Britain, always the paradigm of stable governments. The Tories have not only been decimated at the polls but have offered four prime ministers in two years. Take the United States, nearing to an election which has already claimed the political life of the incumbent president, while his main challenger, Donald Trump, has survived an assassin’s bullet by a miracle.

In the international political arena and in the internal political life of each country, the tents have been struck and humanity is on the move.

Malta, the smallest country in the EU, must take its bearings every day to meet this challenge of change and continue its journey safely.

Practising realpolitik is the only way forward for every country, even more so for our Malta- Ian Borg

It is a fact that, during this dangerous time of turbulence and conflict, Malta has managed to gain the trust and respect of all countries, including the two major world powers, China and the United States. Our relations with Beijing are optimal and with Washington we have established friendly relations in all sectors. So much so that when the two powers decided to hold a preliminary meeting to prepare the California Summit, both opted for Malta to be their host.

Other fruits of our policy of offering the hands of sincere friendship to all and showing malice towards none, are the almost unanimous vote Malta obtained to be elected to the UNSC and the unanimous vote to be elected to chair the OSCE. We have gained even more respect and trust in the way we handled and reacted during the tenure of both posts.

In my role as the 2024 chairperson of the OSCE, this year I led peace visits to the Central Asian states, the South Caucasus countries and Serbia and Kosovo, among others, to bolster confidence in the work of the OSCE structures in these regions.

While always adhering to our constitutional principle of neutrality, we never turned the other way in the face of injustice, aggression and the trampling of human rights.

We act by the moral compass of the rule of law in international relations. That’s why we condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine, Hamas terrorism in Israel and Israel’s massive retaliation in Gaza.

We have also remained steadfast in our determination to safeguard our neutrality and sovereignty, as we renewed and optimised our tailored programme in the Partnership for Peace initiative, which Malta joined in 2008.

In our times of asymmetrical wars, which can be fought not only by armaments but by cyberwarfare, we need to work and collaborate with others. We lack the resources to go it alone. Practising realpolitik is the only way forward for every country, even more so for our Malta.

Ian Borg is Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade and the 2024 Chairperson of the OSCE.