Foreign affairs perm. sec says Malta’s foreign policy 'has reached fruition'

The statement was made by Foreign Affairs ministry permanent secretary John Paul Grech during a casual talk this afternoon at the University of Malta.

This, Grech said, shows how “our foreign policy has come to fruition after having reached the highest organ of international relations in existence,” proving that Malta is a peaceful interlocutor between conflicted countries in the Mediterranean.

In a brief one-hour address to students, mainly hailing from the faculty of International Relations at University, Grech recounted his experiences in the field of diplomacy, tracing his steps from his student days till his current position as permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs.

“Maltese diplomacy is being put to the test,” Grech said. “What’s happening in North Africa is of immediate relevance to Malta, as our Foreign policy is directly linked to bilateral relations with North Africa.”

“Geographically we are Mediterranean, but everything about our political identity is European,” he said. “We wanted to be the voice of the Arab world in the European Union- this was sensitive to even think about let alone put into effect.”

In an articulate and concise talk, Grech selected the most relevant of his experiences which link to current developments in the Arab world, and briefly discussed Malta’s position as a Mediterranean country.

“At this stage, Malta is being consulted at EU and Arab-world level, which requires acute presence of mind. This is where the credibility of our country comes to the fore,” he said.

Grech served as Malta’s ambassador to Germany in 2005 and to Poland in 2008.