'Malta's vocation is to bridge Europe and North Africa' - Muscat

Malta has a vocation to become a humanitarian hub in the Mediterranean, helping Libya find its peace while offer Europe an alternative to austerity measures, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. 

Leading the Labour Party's Freedom Day ceremony in Birgu, Muscat said that Malta's natural vocation was to help bring about stability in the Mediterranean.

He said that freedom is a way of living and that it was a mistake to think that turmoil existed just in the Mediterranean. 

"Today, Malta is living in a period where the Mediterranean dream is coming into being," he said, referring to the recent legislation of civil unions.

"We can be the bridge for southern countries to tap into Europe and an alternative for Europe to reach new markets. Our natural vocation is to bring unity," he said.

Muscat said Malta should never shy away from its privileged position as the gateway to the African and European continents.

"This is the time to open our doors to the current challenges: help Libyans to come together; show Europe that there is an alternative to austerity measures."

Malta tomorrow celebrates its 36th anniversary since the last of the British forces left Malta.

This evening, the Prime Minister lighted the Freedom Day monument, a tradition that has been going on since the first torch was lighted up on 31 March, 1979.

Addressing the event, PL deputy leader Toni Abela said that Malta's freedom shouldn't be taken for granted.

"Celebrating Freedom Day is not just about lighting a torch ... It's about preserving democracy, a process which requires continuous work," he said, pointing towards countries still fighting for their freedom.

In 1979, Abela said, Malta showed it could depend on an economy that didn't require a military base to push it forward.

"Today everyone knows and accepts that Malta was a protagonist then, and remains one today."

He added that even Europe was acknowledging that there existed no peace without stability in the Mediterranean.