Alex Borg silent on whether PN will support Malta connecting to EU gas grid

Opposition leader Alex Borg did not answer on whether or not the Nationalist Party under his leadership will support the government in connecting Malta to the European Union’s gas grid.

During Wednesday’s plenary session at the Maltese Parliament, Prime Minister Robert Abela asked PN leader Alex Borg if he and his party in Opposition will support the government to promote interconnectivity between Malta and the European Union’s gas network.

Prime Minister Abela said that the possibility of installing a gas pipeline between Malta and the EU gas network is often brought up for discussion in EU fora, however, he lamented that the last time the Maltese government lobbied for this, the Nationalist Party caused so many difficulties – including by lying in formal and informal EU meetings – that the government had to abandon this ambition.

Referencing this, the Prime Minister asked recently elected PN leader Alex Borg if the Nationalist Party shall be persisting on its previous stance to oppose the installation of a gas pipeline.

Borg’s initial reaction was that the Prime Minister should formally retract his declaration that the Nationalist Party’s officials are willfully tarnishing Malta’s reputation in mainland Europe.

After reiterating that PN exponents “made life difficult” when government representatives lobbied for natural gas interconnectivity, Borg affirmed that the PN will continue to safeguard voters.

In response, the Prime Minister said that history cannot be re-written, and that Borg cannot give a yes or no answer to this question because he is “compromised.” PM Abela continued that if Borg had to answer yes and commit the Opposition to be in favour of a gas pipeline, then “an NGO, we all know who,” will pull his party’s strings in reaction.

Prime Minister Abela said that Malta is the only country among the 27 European Union Member States facing such a challenge. He committed that he will continue fighting for Malta to have a gas pipeline that connects the country to mainland Europe, similar to the present interconnector that connects Malta’s power grid to Europe’s.

After updating the Maltese Parliament on his meeting with the European Council last week – the forum with the country leaders of all European Union Member States – PM Abela stated that the peace plan between Israel and Palestine is “very fragile.” Despite this, he said he remains “cautiously optimistic” because he believes that this peace plan, which continues to be undermined through sustained killings during supposed ceasefires, is “our best chance in the last few years” to seek peace within this region.

Both sides of the House were in agreement that through Malta’s neutral status, the only way forward to promote defence in the Middle East and in Ukraine is through dialogue and promoting peace. Both sides of the House agreed that a two-state solution is the only means to possibly achieve permanent peace between Israel and Palestine.