Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544245
The following are excerpts from the interview. The full interview can be found on maltatoday. com.mt as well as our Facebook and Spotify pages. PHOTOS: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTA TODAY After you won your libel case against Jason Azzopardi, many were calling for your return to Cabinet since you had been left out of it following the 2022 elec- tion. Do you feel it was unjust to be left out of Cabinet after the case ended? I appreciate people's comments but this is always a prerogative of the prime minister. I offer my services wherever they are needed. After the last election, the prime minister made his choices and I respect them, even though I don't necessarily agree with them, but it's his job to choose his Cabinet. I remained active in parliament. I preside over two parliamentary committees and there are other parliamentary responsibilities that I have, such as working with our delegations abroad. At the end of the day, I contest elections to represent the people… You mentioned that you spoke with the prime minister when you requested to contest the next general election. Did you tell him that you are willing and able to do more and work in his Cabinet? I only discussed my wish to contest the election on the Labour Party ticket. If I'm part of a team, I have to pull my own weight in that team. The prime minister knows the work I did in three portfolios, one of which was very close to him as I was working under the Office of the Prime Minister. I think I did a good job although I cannot judge that myself, but people who worked with me, irrespective of their political beliefs, lead me to believe so… I'm very happy with what I've achieved. I'm ready to contribute wherever the prime minister wishes. One of your portfolios was the Home Affairs Ministry. We're seeing wars raging close to us, and government's belief in the face of such wars is that Malta should strengthen its neutral- ity. But there seems to be an impression that investing in defence means that we're going to war. Don't you think we need to strengthen our defence? … When war escalates the issue of NATO and EU members' defence expenditure always comes up. In the local context, when we say that we need to invest in defence we should clarify what we're talking about. When I was home affairs minister, we invested in three helicopters for the AFM and I signed the tender for the P71 patrol boat—Malta's biggest vessel. If we think that because we invested in this boat and helicopters, we invested in Malta's defence, we don't know what we're talking about. We have adequate resources when it comes to search and rescue, immigration, and even criminal activities on the seas, but we can't say we can defend ourselves against an attack… If we invest in lethal weapons, one day or another, these will be used. Why? Because you can't just invest in them and leave them there. So, some day, the temptation to use them will be there. This is a multi-billion-euro industry and the countries that host such companies also have an economic interest to invest in defence… War is no longer dependent on planes, ships, and soldiers. There are drones and missiles that can strike targets from miles away. And we have none of these assets. But don't you think we should have the capability to defend ourselves against them? When I was minister, Malta hosted the European Council Presidency, the EU-Africa Summit, and the CHOGM, which put a spotlight on Malta. We had a lot of heads of state. From a security point of view, these were massive headaches. When you speak about defence systems against drones and missiles, we're talking about expenditure that rises to billions, not millions; not only to purchase them, but to maintain them… We can only invest so much. In my opinion, when we speak about more defence capabilities, we are dreaming that we can invest in what I think are unrealistic capabilities. Some might say I'm wrong but so be it. We wouldn't be realistic if we think we alone can defend ourselves by investing billions of euros. You were also foreign affairs minister. A factor that has shaped and will continue to shape the international scene is Donald Trump. I'm curious what you think about him. I was once in a meeting in the United States in around 2024 and 2025. There was an American speaker who was speaking to our delegation who told us, "You Europeans should remember that the [US] president is unpredictable." He wanted to say that Europeans should take initiative in their own matters when we know that Trump is unpredictable. Trump was democratically elected and we have to work with him, but our responsibility as Europeans to take initiatives together is now bigger, even in diplomatic matters… Malta has seemingly been reluc- tant to criticise Trump and the US. The deputy prime minister even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Do you agree with this approach towards Trump? Our foreign policy is based on our interests as a country. That doesn't mean we can't be critical, but our interest remains first and foremost. I believe our best interest is to have good relationships with everyone. Americans, Russians, Palestinians, Israel, everyone… I think that when it comes to the [US] president and positions that we disagree upon, we should say "we disagree," and when there are peace efforts, we should support them. Whether or not Trump deserves the Nobel prize, that is a different matter. Whoever makes that decision should be the judge of that matter. I think Trump exaggerated when he wanted the prize for himself, I personally don't think he deserves this prize… As a world leader, he should work for peace without expecting anything in return. I don't think the current escalation in Iran is taking us in the direction of peace, but instead is creating more instability in the world and regions close to Malta. 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 APRIL 2026 INTERVIEW