The news that Malta has been elected as member of the United Nations Security Council for a period of two years has been welcomed with general joy and approval.
The process, which ended successfully, started in 2010. The then Nationalist government filed an application for membership of the 2023-24 two-year slot in representation of the so-called Western Group.
I remember my advisers at the Foreign Office telling me not to apply for previous slots since there were strong contenders for the Western Group representation. They suggested the 2023-24 slot. They were proved right. Only Switzerland submitted an application and, therefore, Malta and Switzerland were elected uncontested.
This does not mean that the Foreign Office, under both a Nationalist and Labour administration, did not strive to ensure that everything went as planned on election day. Even if uncontested, an election takes place and, as anyone who has been in politics knows, elections are unpredictable events.
Indeed, both the previous and the current administrations worked well in lobbying for the seat. In spite of the uncontested nature of the election, a well thought-out brochure with excellent messages from, among others, the president of Malta, himself a former foreign minister, made sure that no stone would remain unturned to ensure Malta’s place in the Security Council.
Once the justified euphoria is over, however, we have to wrack our brains to fully exploit the advantage on the international stage which such prestigious position brings with it. The current time reminds me of Guido de Marco’s election as president of the UN General Assembly in 1990, a first by any Maltese politician.
His election occurred at a tense moment in international relations. Iraq had just invaded Kuwait. He stood firmly in support of Kuwait to the extent that he personally stood up and approached the emir of Kuwait who was in exile when he addressed the UN General Assembly, embraced him and, as most Kuwaiti politicians whom I met later told me, “ against all protocol” de Marco started the applause when the emir finished his speech.
As in 1990, the Maltese government, through its representatives at the permanent mission in New York, should strive to make the best of this position in the difficult times ahead. We should stand firm in defending Ukraine following the invasion by Russia. We should never forget that, in spite of our military neutrality, we can never be, to use a Churchillian phrase, neutral between the fire and the firemen.
Nor should we ever forget that we belong to the Western world and are members of the European Union.
In spite of the fact that we are not part of the NATO military alliance, we enjoy a strong measure of security by belonging to the European Union. This should put us firmly in the pro-Western pro-Ukrainian position.
Our special relationship with the People’s Republic of China should be used to the full- Tonio Borg
For instance, we should make it absolutely clear, if need be through a parliamentary resolution, that Malta stands four-square with Ukraine’s application to be granted candidate status within the Union. Opposition leader Bernard Grech was the first to publicly express support locally for such measure in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelensky when he addressed the House of Representatives.
Our membership of the Security Council during the next two years will bring us face to face with thorny problems in international relationships. We shall be lobbied by all and sundry. The five permanent members, in spite of enjoying a veto on Security Council agenda, will strive to persuade us to be on their side on any particular issue because no permanent member likes to win the day by exercising its veto. They prefer to have a majority supporting their position making the use of the veto unnecessary.
Our special relationship with the People’s Republic of China should be used to the full. Not to the extent of agreeing with any stand China takes. We should make it clear to China, which has always respected Malta’s neutrality and its membership of the European Union, that we are not ready to remain neutral in the face of Russia invasion of a neighbouring country and that we fully support all sanctions against Russia.
However, international relations will not be monopolised only by the Ukrainian question. We should redeem our friendship vouchers, forge alliances where these are in the interests of world peace and prove on the world stage that, in spite of the modest size of our country, we have competent politicians and civil servants, ambassadors and diplomatic people who can make compromises but never compromise with the truth.
De Marco used to tell me to avoid saying that we as a country are small. Everyone knows it. Why emphasise it? That is true. We should keep our feet on the ground, be conscious of our natural limitations, geographic and otherwise, but, at the same time, we should not shy away from taking or supporting initiatives, speaking our mind and proving that our foreign policy has an ethical dimension.
On this issue, a bipartisan approach is recommended. The opposition should be involved. It should also support the government on foreign policy stands. On its part, the government should keep the opposition in the loop.
The seat at the Security Council belongs to Malta not to any political party.
Tonio Borg is a former foreign minister and former European commissioner.