‘We are an
island, but we are not isolationists. We are committed multilateralists.’ This
was the central message of the
statement delivered by H.E. Vanessa Frazier, Ambassador and Permanent
Representative of Malta to the United Nations, in a high-level Arria Formula meeting organised by the Estonian Presidency
of the UN Security Council to commemorate the 75th anniversary since the end of the Second World
War on European Soil. This was the
first time the UN family convened for a
virtual meeting with such a large number of high-level participants
since the COVID-19 pandemic confined us to our homes.
In its statement,
Malta highlighted the importance of having effective and credible international
institutions and underlined the crucial role of the Security Council in the
prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts. It spoke about the need to
invest in sustainable development, human rights, international law, and international
humanitarian law, and the need to remain vigilant and ready to respond to new
challenges such as climate change. Malta
also expressed concern about the security situation in its immediate
neighbourhood.
Malta remembered
the suffering of its people during the Second World War, the socio-economic
difficulties that followed, and the long but rewarding journey of rebuilding as
an independent and forward-looking country. It concluded by reiterating its commitment
to peace, dialogue, bridge-building, and
a rules-based international system with the United Nations at its core.