Prime Minister Robert Abela gave his speech at the United Nations General Assembly today, in which he extolled the value of trust. Trust is eroding in governments and institutions, he said, as he warned that this erosion of trust is also corroding the international order.
He then turned to speak about what he described as two ongoing “conflicts” in relation to this deterioration of the international order. He said that Europe should not despair and think that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would end in a never-ending conflict. He then said that a just and lasting peace should guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty over its current internationally recognised borders. He also said that a ceasefire should precede this agreement.
He then turned to Gaza and said that Israel has no trust in Hamas and that the people of Palestine need to have trust in a just peace, and that this trust is impossible to build with the acute humanitarian situation.
Malta calls for sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. He then praised the current Peace Plan for Gaza and said that all parties should fulfil their commitments. No progress can be made if there is the forced displacement of the Palestinian population, he then added. He then reiterated that the Two-State Solution is the only solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Malta is committed to helping build the civil society of Gaza.
“No trust, no peace,” he said.
Malta supports the UN’s initiative of the Global Digital Compact and called for international rules on artificial intelligence. He said that no individual country can address the challenges presented by AI alone and that international cooperation is needed to ensure that technological development remains safe and trustworthy.
He also warned about cyberattacks, disinformation and threats to critical infrastructure, especially for small island states which depend heavily on digital and physical connections with the outside world.
He then turned to climate change and reiterated Malta’s historic commitment to addressing the issue through the United Nations.
He concluded by calling for reforms to the United Nations and reiterated the central message of his speech: that international cooperation ultimately depends on trust.
You can watch the full speech here.
Newsroom
Leave a Reply