Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 April, 2024 at 10:41 am by Andre Camilleri
The USA welcomes Malta’s determined and effective leadership of the OSCE
“We need to work together to de-escalate, diffuse tensions, and encourage all sides engaged in conflict to work for a real pathway forward to solutions that are not destructive to the people.” Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg stressed the need for dialogue and cooperation in all current conflicts during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday.
They discussed current challenges in the Mediterranean region, in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and beyond during a crucial month for Malta, as it holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council while continuing its 2024 chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
“We appreciate the leadership that Malta has shown leading the OSCE at a very challenging time, but doing it in a very effective way, and also, of course, on the UN Security Council, including in the presidency this month,” Secretary Blinken said.
Borg and Blinken agreed that escalation and a wider war in the Middle East will help no one and called for effective, long-term solutions for the peaceful resolution of current conflicts.
Minister Borg reiterated Malta’s call for a permanent ceasefire, the immediate release of hostages captured on October 7th, and a rapid increase in humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as a first step toward peace in the Middle East.
In Washington, Minister Borg also held meetings with US Congressman William Keating, who sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe; Ambassador Michael Carpenter, the National Security Council’s Senior Director for Europe; and a former US Ambassador to the OSCE.
In his role as Chair-in-Office of the OSCE, the Minister also addressed two public meetings. On Monday, he joined Ambassador David T. Johnson, former US Ambassador to the OSCE, for a fireside chat organised by the Wilson Center, an acclaimed non-governmental organisation chartered by the US Congress to provide nonpartisan counsel and insights on global affairs to policymakers. On Tuesday, Minister Borg had a formal hearing with the US Congress Helsinki Commission, chaired by Helsinki Commission Chairman Joe Wilson.
