OPR- Monday, 11th June, 2007

Mr President, Mrs Papadopoulou,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for my wife and myself to be visiting Cyprus on a State Visit.  Allow me therefore to express my thanks for the invitation to visit your country with which we are connected through many historic and contemporary ties. 

Mr President,

We have been honoured to welcome you to Malta on two occasions – the first being on your State Visit to Malta in February of 2005 and then again in November of that same year at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which was hosted in Malta. 

Malta and Cyprus share a strong affinity embedded in the rich history and geography of our countries.  We are two island nations on the fringes of Europe.  We are surrounded by the same sea, a geographical factor that has both characterised and shaped our history.  In recent history, both our countries served as strategic naval outposts of the British Empire, reached independence practically at the same time and became members of the European Union on the same wave of enlargement. 

Mr. President,

The value heritage of Europeans is based on respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.  Cyprus and Malta share this heritage.  We are bound by friendship, overriding values and ideals, and by a common concern for the prosperity and security of Europe. 

Our countries’ accession to the European Union has enriched our relations with a newer dimension.  For Malta, membership of the European Union is important politically, economically and culturally.  The overall assessment of our three years of EU membership is positive. We have benefited in many ways from being part of the Union, where we have been willing to be fully involved in its activities and also in its development. 

EU membership has not meant giving up our national identities.  The role of common cultural, historical and philosophical roots in uniting our Europe is clear, as is our will to preserve our distinctive national cultures and linguistic diversity. 

Excellency,

Malta and Cyprus are not only defined by their membership of the European Union, but by their geographical realities as Mediterranean States active within the European Union. 

Malta and Cyprus are both active participants in the EU’s neighbourhood policy.  Our own region, the Mediterranean, is an important cooperation region.  Our commitment to, and understanding of, the Mediterranean region, enables us to make a positive contribution to the formulation of European positions.  There are many tools for promoting cooperation in the Mediterranean region available to both our countries, including the Euro-Mediterranean Barcelona Partnership, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly. 

Excellency,

The support of the citizens of Europe is essential for the success of the integration process.  The EU must be credible in the eyes of its citizens, and such credibility can only be achieved if they feel its positive impact in their lives.  Both our countries have ratified the Constitutional Treaty.  Malta looks forward to a positive outcome of the discussions at the level of Heads of State or Government on the new treaty for the European Union at the European Council later this month.  In this regard, Malta will work towards a consensus among all Member States for the benefit of the Union and all its peoples. 

Excellency,

European cooperation and integration has promoted peace, stability and prosperity in our continent.  EU enlargement to include ten new countries three years ago and a further two this year shows the strength of large-scale integration.  The enlargement process has brought prosperity and security to an increasingly wider area.  Today, fifty years after the Treaty of Rome, the contribution of European integration to this situation cannot be pointed out enough. 

Excellency,

The future of the EU represents a great challenge for Europe and for both our countries.  Although the threat of a conventional war has diminished in our continent – thanks to a great extent to European integration – new challenges with multiple dimensions keep cropping up. 

Globalisation, sustainable development, climate change and the environment, energy security, terrorism and illegal immigration are issues that no country can handle alone.  Not even the largest actors can cope by themselves in facing the rapidly changing challenges and threats of an increasingly globalised world.  The best way to achieve positive results is to act together.  Sustainable solutions must be common: European and global.  By taking an active role in the United Nations and in other international organisations, we can work to promote stable development and a fairer and safer world. 

Malta was disappointed that the desired accession of a united Cyprus to the Union on 1^st May 2004 did not prove possible.  It is clear to me that patience, dedication and political will on all sides are required to overcome the legacy of division.  Dialogue is essential, and the role of the United Nations central.  Mr President, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge your tireless efforts in search for a settlement.  The People of Malta long for the day of full reconciliation and harmony on the island of Cyprus. 

In a world dominated by conflicts and violence, we should strive for peace, justice and democracy through the peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for the international rule of law. 

Excellency,

This visit to Cyprus enhances our countries’ relations and our common determination to strengthen bonds of cooperation, trade, investment, cultural exchanges and interpersonal contacts.  I hope that the Maltese and Cypriot businessmen will have plenty new ideas and make new contacts as a result of our visits. 

With these thoughts, may I invite you Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, to raise your glass and to toast to the health of His Excellency the President and Mrs. Papadopoulou and for prosperity and friendship between our Peoples.