The solution to war was to work harder for peace, and not to make an ongoing war even bigger, Robert Abela said on Sunday.

Addressing supporters at a PL political event in Siġġiewi as the world marked two years since the invasion of Ukraine, Abela said it was not acceptable for political leaders to use language that fomented more conflict.

"This is why we constantly stress the importance of peace. We must work to bring about peace, because only peace brings stability, and only stability offers a hopeful future to humankind," he said.

He was reacting to a statement by EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola earlier this month. She called for the EU to increase its defence budget to strengthen Europe's defence in the wake of international political developments.

The prime minister said Metsola was fomenting conflict by suggesting the purchase of more weapons, instead of insisting on bringing about peace.

Following similar criticism of her comments earlier last week, Metsola hit back, saying it seemed like the Malta government could not distinguish between attack and defence, and that having a more robust defence package included the protection of infrastructure, prevention of cyber attacks and more financial aid to Malta's own armed forces, for instance.

But on Sunday Abela said war could only be won by embracing peace. Neutrality was a cherished value that the government was never going to abandon. Rather, it was going to keep up its humanitarian efforts.

"This is why we extended our invitation to offer medical care to more children injured in the Gaza conflict and why we will continue to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine," he said.

'A week of mixed emotions'

Abela said the past week brought him mixed emotions. On one hand, he was hopeful and excited about announcements on research and innovation investment at large multinational companies and the University, on the other, it was painful to hear that five people died at sea on Friday. He thanked the AFM for rescuing 29 people in the same incident where five people died when a boat carrying migrants capsized.

"These people [AFM soldiers] brave the seas every day - sometimes in brutal storms - to save lives." 

Abela said migration was a very complex subject and given that Malta was a frontline country, the issue has been endlessly debated for years and would continue to be debated.

One aspect that must be fought as hard as possible, was human trafficking, he said.

It was a business model that worked only by benefitting from the suffering of extremely vulnerable people who were so desperate that they were willing to pay large amounts of money and trust their lives in the hands of criminal gangs who exploited them.

The gangs also participated in other criminal activity, like fuel and drug smuggling, he said, and that was why the EU must not send out the wrong messages that could facilitate human trafficking.

'A Malta of opportunities'

Abela also told supporters how hopeful he felt when he visited multinational company Trelleborg on Thursday, as it prepared to invest €14m in the next two years on new equipment which is more efficient and cleaner for the environment.

He said that energy and other subsidies enabled the company to expand its operations.

These were all life-changing opportunities for young Maltese professionals, Abela said, many of whom started working there as apprentices and had now been promoted to managerial positions.

"This is the Malta we want - a Malta of opportunities," he said. "And you get that by investing in education.

He then went on to say how, despite criticism that the government was not investing enough in research and innovation, on Friday he inaugurated new, high-end research laboratories for engineering students at the University - the final part of a now-completed €39m investment.