Malta’s Relations with Romania in the Last Two Decades of the Cold War: Foreign Policy and Maltese Domestic Politics

Abstract

In the 1970s Malta’s foreign policy was extended towards Eastern countries. At that time Romania was not on good terms with Warsaw Pact countries. Malta, on the other hand, was taking a determined stance towards a non-aligned policy and during the decade it undertook serious global initiatives to secure peace and stability in the Mediterranean. The two countries found common ground, mainly on peace and security in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The relations between Valletta and Bucharest made a breakthrough in the first half of the 1980s when both countries were exchanging delegations continuously, however Malta’s positive rapport with Romania was not well received by the opposition party in Malta. This paper aims to analyse the relations between Malta and Romania in the last two decades of the Cold War by highlighting the various themes which characterised their bilateral relations. This research is mainly based on primary sources since research of this kind was never done before.