It is with great pleasure that I join you today in celebrating the birthday of His Majesty Naruhito the Emperor of Japan.
This event stems from deep, symbolic roots for the Japanese people. It offers a chance to honour the rich cultural heritage, resilience and national unity that define this great nation.
Japan, the land of the rising sun, is bestowed with an abundance of natural beauty where distinct traditions revolve around the principles of respect and solidarity.
Despite the geographical distance between Malta and Japan, our friendship is deeply rooted in shared values- respect for peace, commitment to progress and a strong sense of community.
This year marks the sixtieth (60th) anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between our countries – this is an important milestone that invites us to reflect on our past achievements and set our sights on strengthening our partnership for the future.
Throughout these years we have built a relationship based on mutual understanding, economic cooperation and cultural exchange. This has led to the establishment of a Maltese Embassy in Tokyo in 2020.
Malta’s intention remains directed towards deepening this engagement.
We welcome the opening of Japan’s Embassy in Malta last year, the strengthening of our bilateral ties in trade and investment and the interest being shown by Japanese businesses in Malta.
We also strongly value the contribution of Japanese culture to Malta and people-to-people connections. The opening of respective embassies in both countries has also led to greater engagement on cultural cooperation as well as educational initiatives.
These exchanges remain a vital pillar of our partnership, as we continue to build bridges between the people of Malta and Japan.
The recent signing, in February 2024, of the Memorandum of Cooperation on People-to-People Exchanges provides a strong framework for collaboration in education, sports, language exchange, and cultural initiatives, reinforcing the deep connections between our peoples.
Tourism, which plays a key role for our islands, is also important to our bilateral ties. It is encouraging to note that provisional figures for 2024 indicate an increase in Japanese visitors to Malta from 2023, evidence of a growing Japanese interest in our islands’ culture and traditions.
We remain committed to making Malta an even more attractive destination for Japanese travellers and look forward to further strengthening tourism exchanges through the diversification of touristic niches.
From an economic standpoint, Malta’s economic relationship with Japan has evolved into a dynamic and prosperous partnership over the years, making Japan a priority country for several Maltese commercial stakeholders.
Malta and Japan enjoy a strong and mutually beneficial commercial relationship, characterised by growing trade ties and cooperation. The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and Japan, which came into force in 2019, has brought many benefits to Maltese companies wishing to export or invest in the country.
Recent high-level visits by Trade Malta and Malta Enterprise to Japan have explored new opportunities to further expand commercial ties, and we look forward to expanding into new, and diverse sectors of collaboration.
A major opportunity in this regard is Malta’s participation at the EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka. This is a significant event for Japan, serving as a platform to showcase innovation, culture and sustainability on a global change. This event will also provide an opportunity for Malta to showcase our strengths in trade, investment, innovation and tourism to interested Japanese partners and organisations.
Japan’s remarkable contributions to global development, technological advancement, and environmental sustainability continue to inspire the world, and Malta is proud to work alongside Japan in multilateral fora to address these common global challenges.
Our two countries share a vision of a world where diplomacy, cooperation and respect for international law guide our efforts towards global security. Malta remains a steadfast advocate in the fostering of multilateralism which is currently being challenged.
Threats to international peace and security and violations of the UN Charter and international law are increasing distrust among nations.
Malta acknowledges Japan’s support received during its tenure as OSCE Chair-in-Office last year, particularly during the 31st Ministerial Meeting. Japan was represented by His Excellency Hisayuki Fujii, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who I also had the opportunity to meet during a bilateral courtesy meeting in December 2024.
Malta’s efforts in this regard have ensured that the organisation will have leaders to guide it for the next three years.
In this year, Malta shall continue to contribute to the stability of OSCE, as a pertinent forum on the international stage. Malta will be part of the Troika and will also chair the OSCE Asian Partners for Cooperation. This is a valuable platform where Japan can share its experiences and best practices to create new synergies. This opportunity will allow Malta to collaborate more closely with the Japanese Government.
Malta and Japan have also worked together in the United Nations Security Council. As elected members of the UNSC, for the period between 2023 and 2024, both Malta and Japan showed their diplomatic prowess in international conflict resolution.
Both countries supported resolutions promoting the rules-based international order, advocating climate security and humanitarian assistance. Our joint commitment to nuclear disarmament and multilateral diplomacy strengthens the global call for peace and security.
Looking ahead, Malta’s upcoming presidency of the Council of Europe, along with various high-level conferences to be held during this presidency, provide an excellent opportunity to further our focus on:
- empowering young people in democratic life,
- the protection of children,
- combating violence and discrimination, and
- safeguarding the European Convention on Human Rights
Excellencies,
Today is a celebration of Japan’s achievements, its remarkable history and the spirit of its people. It is also a reaffirmation of the friendship between our two nations, a friendship that continues to grow stronger with each passing year.
As the Japanese proverb goes, “A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle”; Our strength as peaceful nations lies in our close cooperation with like-minded partners, such as Japan which we highly value in this regard.
On behalf of the people of Malta, I raise a toast to the well being of the Japanese people and to the special friendship that binds the People of Malta and the People of Japan.
I also kindly ask Your Excellency to convey my warmest greetings to His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito.
