This event marks a full-circle moment for Borg who began his chairperson ship in Vienna and is ending it here in Malta. When he was inaugurated, the newsroom travelled to the Austrian capital where Borg said he was worried about the OSCE’s lifeline.

So, today we asked him how his doubts about the regional organisations future have evolved during this year as chairperson.

“It wasn’t an easy year, but I’m cautiously optimistic.”

Borg explained that by tomorrow, the organisation may have an agreement between 57 countries on the OSCE’s new senior leadership package, an agreement between this amount of countries on anything is rare, especially in times like these.

“If we have an agreement then Malta would have not only served as a bridge between Skopje and Helsinki, not only would we have kept the organisation alive, but we would have given the region something important.”

He further referenced the words of praise that other ministers have had toward the Maltese Chair, acting as a testament to the work it has done throughout this difficult whole year.

The OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting is an annual event that hosts top diplomats and foreign ministers of participating countries to evaluate the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area. This year, conference is expected to confirm a new senior leadership package.  The organisation works on a model of consensus meaning that all countries must agree before any decision is taken.

This has proved to be a tricky way to work with so many diverse states which often rivalling interests. However, it is the world’s largest regional organisation and with origins rooted in the Cold War, acts as an essential bridge between the West and the East. The organisation is intended to promote dialogue and cooperation as opposed to force; it provides one of the only tables where so many opposing key leaders and figureheads will meet and discuss.

When asked whether Maltese authorities would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to touch ground on Maltese soil, he reiterated that Malta respects all decisions issued by the ICC, implying that the Israeli head of state would indeed be arrested.

Amid the quiet chaos of this event, Lovin Malta decided to ask Borg whether he had any first comments as the country’s new Tourism Minister after Clayton Bartolo was forced to resign in the wake of scandals involving himself and his wife.

However, Borg said that as Foreign Minister, he would like this conference to be over before discussing his new role. He assured that there will be more opportunities to discuss this, even with Lovin Malta, and we intend to hold him to it.

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