BK Scholz: Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome the Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, today. Welcome, dear Robert, to the Federal Chancellery.

Our conversation clearly showed how good and trustworthy the relations are between Malta and Germany. Malta shares our commitment to multilateralism, international law, and the United Nations. Currently, it is actively representing this role as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

The successful resolution in the Security Council regarding the situation in the Middle East was largely due to the initiative of Malta. Germany and Malta agree: We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel. Israel has the right, within the framework of international law, to defend itself and the lives of its citizens. At the same time, we see the suffering of the Palestinians, who are also victims of Hamas. We are firmly committed to improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

It is very good news that, after weeks of fear, Hamas has now released hostages, including a number of German citizens. I would like to thank the governments involved that made this agreement possible and with whom we have worked closely. It is also clear that this may only be the beginning. We remain determined to secure the release of all hostages; Hamas must release them. At the same time, of course, we are using the ceasefire in Gaza to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected civilian population – and I believe that is good news in this complex situation.

Another conflict, which currently seems to be somewhat overlooked, also shaped our discussions. We know that Russia continues its aggressive war against Ukraine with undiminished intensity. The Russian army is attempting this winter to target the Ukrainian civilian population with airstrikes on civilian infrastructure. This is particularly reprehensible and treacherous.

In this context, I explicitly thanked Prime Minister Abela for the successful meeting of national security advisors within the framework of the Copenhagen Process, which took place in Malta at the end of October. Because it sent a very important signal. Solidarity and support for Ukraine remain unwavering. Malta and Germany agree: Ukraine continues to need our special support this winter. We are doing this alongside the supply of weapons that we have made available.

Of course, we also discussed many issues of European policy, such as the multiannual financial framework. It is important for us to do everything we can to ensure that this remains a financial framework that guarantees the stability of our shared finances.

It is also important that we push for a reform of the common European asylum system. We have been intensively dealing with the issues of irregular migration, discussing them, and discussing perspectives on how to proceed.

This, of course, also relates to many other issues that are important to us – the expansion of the EU, which is now approaching, the climate conference in Dubai, COP28. We will be working on that. For Germany, it is important that it is not only about expanding renewable energies, wind energy, and solar energy, but also about supporting the climate club, which we are dedicated to.

We also discussed the situation in Libya and Tunisia, and I reiterated Malta's position that it is important to continue to support both countries. Malta's current role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council – including its candidacies – the areas of climate and security, but also Malta's role in the OSCE, were further topics on the agenda.

During this visit, we also had a very important opportunity to discuss key issues on the European Union's agenda. These include topics such as migration, enlargement, economic governance, and, of course, supply chains.

I would like to thank Chancellor Scholz and his team once again for the excellent exchange of views we had, and I also thank him for his hospitality. I believe that the discussions we had today not only contributed to further strengthening the already good relations, but also moved us a step further in the area of cooperation.

Thank you!

Question: Prime Minister, you are in Berlin today. Yesterday, you were supported and asked to take over the chairmanship of the OSCE next year. Given the challenges facing Ukraine, what message would you like to convey on behalf of Malta in this regard?

Prime Minister Abela: This is a question from the Maltese side, so I will answer in Maltese briefly. - First, I would like to say that the decision will be made and the process will be completed regarding the OSCE chairmanship this week. We will take over the chairmanship on January 1st, and our main focus will certainly be peace. Peace is something we have been working on, and we continue to do so now as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, a position we have held since last year. Our country may be small, but we have nevertheless managed to send a clear message about resolving wars and conflicts through peace.

We have spoken about the war between Ukraine and Russia, and we have also taken a position on this conflict. We did this when Hamas attacked Israel. We will take further steps here and advocate for the recognition that the only solution is peace – whether it concerns Russia and Ukraine, or the conflict between Hamas and Israel. But you must demand peace and work for peace. A lasting ceasefire is, in our opinion, the only right way forward. We have achieved and taken the first important step by adopting a resolution in the Security Council, which has now been followed by positive developments. The first hostages have been released, and humanitarian aid is entering Gaza. As I said, this is the first step in the right direction – but a very necessary first step. We are now urgently calling for a lasting ceasefire so that we can ensure that the loss of thousands of innocent lives, which the conflict has already claimed, does not continue. In this regard, there are different estimates from the parties involved in the conflict, but we cannot accept that more innocent civilians lose their lives, that parents lose their children, and children lose their parents. Let us end this war.

We will also end the war between Russia and Ukraine. We have a duty to our people, and we have a duty to use our position in key positions accordingly.

Question: Chancellor, you mentioned further assistance to Ukraine. Now, given the uncertainty surrounding the 2024 budget, there is concern about whether the promised increase in military aid by the federal government to eight billion euros is actually secure. What do you say to that? Related: Do you really see that support for Ukraine within the EU, with its 27 members, is still very strong, or is support for military aid waning?

Prime Minister, Malta had a controversial practice of selling passports to foreigners. Can you say whether this practice continues, and are you still selling passports to foreigners?

Chancellor Scholz: We have a very clear position: Germany supports Ukraine in its right to defend its own country. We have been doing this in recent years since the outbreak of the war, and we will continue to do so as long as it is necessary. We have allocated significant resources to this, and we are now the second largest supporter of Ukraine after the United States. That will certainly remain the case.

We are currently in a situation where a decision on the 2024 budget has not yet been made in the German Bundestag. However, we are working intensively to resolve this situation as quickly as possible, and the federal government is putting forward concrete proposals to that end. This certainly means that we will continue to support Ukraine. Ukraine can rely on Germany and its support.

This is particularly important because – and I would like to emphasize this – our position is that the Russian president cannot simply get away with his invasion, conquer part of a country, and say: "Now this is the border, where the weapons are equal." Therefore, we are not in favor of simply accepting the right to change this situation, but rather we support Ukraine in defending its country and its territorial integrity. This remains our position.

The same applies, if I may say so at this point, with regard to the situation in Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself following the attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens. We have campaigned for the release of the hostages – I am glad that this has now happened – and we demand the release of further hostages. This also means that we take the position that the current situation is about humanitarian pauses, because it remains the case that Israel must also have the opportunity to do everything it can to stop Hamas from continuing its terrorist activities, and there has been no apparent change on the part of Hamas. We will therefore continue to support Israel's right to self-defense and contribute to making that possible.

PM Abela: We have a "citizenship by investment" scheme, but no program that would allow for the easy purchase of passports. There are certain criteria that must be met and fulfilled. This is subject to a duty of care. In February 2021, when Russia first attacked Ukraine, we made decisions regarding citizens of these countries, and from the beginning, we clearly supported Ukraine. This remains our position today.

Regarding the decision of who is granted citizenship: This is a matter of national law, and we will always clarify this, even before the European Court of Justice. There are criteria that must be met in order for someone to obtain citizenship. This is a solid framework. It is a regulatory framework. But we can also – which this framework allows – revoke citizenship if certain conditions are not met.

You were asked a question, Mr. Chancellor, and I would also like to respond: Yes, we can agree on the budget. We will not decide to block the European Union. However, we must maintain military aid to Ukraine and focus more on peace. The consequences of this war, which is now almost two or three years old, are visible to all of us. Please join us in spreading the message that Ukraine has the right to defend its territory, and we support it in this effort, but let us insist more often on returning to the path of peace. I am also referring to the meeting of national security advisors in Malta as the first important meeting, the first step on the path to peace. The emphasis should continue to be on finding peace rather than continuing the war.

Question: I have a question for the Federal Chancellor. How would you assess the bilateral talks with the Prime Minister of Malta on trade? Relations between Malta and you are very important for Malta.

BK Scholz (in English): We had a very detailed discussion about the possibilities for trade between Malta and Germany. As you know, Germany is Malta's largest trading partner, and that will remain the case. We also discussed some specific issues, such as the development of investments in renewable energy. We talked about the pharmaceutical industry sector. We also support Malta in protecting its interests within the European Union. Of course, we also want to ensure that even small countries have access to the necessary medicines. These are some of the topics we discussed. This was an important part of our discussions today.

Question: Mr. Chancellor, I have another question regarding domestic policy. Today, you made a government statement. Afterwards, Friedrich Merz criticized you quite sharply, saying that you wouldn't be able to handle it, that the task was too big. He even said, verbatim: "You are a plumber of power." How do you interpret this as criticism or a compliment?

BK Scholz: I am a supporter of skilled trades in Germany, and I believe that what we have learned about skilled trades is: You have to work at things for a long time, including government responsibility, in order to develop good government policies. I think there is a certain parallel between me and this honorable plumbing profession. First of all, I am proud of this compliment.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

bundeskanzler.de/RoZ

https://www.bundeskanzler.de/bk-de/aktuelles/pressekonferenz-von-bundeskanzler-scholz-und-dem-premierminister-der-republik-malta-abela-bei-seinem-besuch-in-berlin-am-28-november-2023-2242914