Malta is ready to contribute towards a renewed effort from the European Union and United Nations to secure lasting stablity and unified institutions in Libya, Foreign Minister Ian Borg said on Tuesday.
Addressing the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Borg expressed Malta’s concern at the latest developments in Tripoli, warning that the recent escalation was “a stark reminder that the current fragility is untenable”.
“Underlying divisions are deepening, and the risk of renewed conflict is very real,” he said.
Last week, 38 Maltese people were evacuated from Libya as tensions in Tripoli escalated into the worst fighting in years.
Borg welcomed Italy’s call for a more active EU engagement in Libya, reinforcing the ongoing UN-led process. “Malta has always maintained that real, sustainable progress depends on a genuinely inclusive, Libyan-owned process. However, continued international engagement remains essential, particularly to safeguard Libya’s sovereignty, ensure full respect for the arms embargo and advance the withdrawal of foreign forces,” he said.
Referring to the Middle East, Borg said that forced displacement is contrary to international law and insisted that “starvation cannot be used as a weapon of war.” He called for the immediate lifting of the humanitarian aid blockade and for international humanitarian law to be respected and upheld.
The foreign minister also expressed Malta’s “deep concern” over all actions that undermine the overarching goal of the Two-State solution, reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.
On Ukraine, he commended the US, EU member states and other partners for helping to create an environment in which negotiations may have a stronger chance of securing a just and lasting peace for the Ukrainian people.
“The meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Lviv, earlier this month, demonstrated the EU’s ability to present a unified front, with a stronger call for a full and unconditional ceasefire,” Borg said.