Prime Minister Joseph Muscat met European Council President Hermann Van Rompuy this afternoon at Castille.

In a joint press conference following their talks, Dr Muscat emerged saying that Libya must be part of the solution and not part of the problem, referring to the migration crisis.

Dr Muscat said, and Mr Van Rompuy agreed, that one cannot expect solutions after two days.

Dr Muscat emerged saying: “The number of migrants has increased (over the past days), the crisis is impeding... we are talking about people. Malta will continue to work relentlessly and with no halts in the situation”.

He noted that while raising his voice, Malta did not abscond from its international obligations. He continued, and Mr Van Rompuy agreed, that one cannot expect solutions after two days.

He said he is fully aware of Malta's concerns, which by far receives the highest number of asylum-related requests per capita in the whole of the EU.

Describing the discussions as positive, he is to brief the Commission in Brussels about the meeting, during which proposals were shared.

Dr Muscat said that Malta could serve as an interlocutor between Libya and Europe.

Malta, he added, was sending a very strong signal that Libya is willing to work with Europe.

"Some reports mistake the situation in Malta to that of Lampedusa," Dr Muscat said, adding that migrants arriving at Lampedusa get transferred to Italy or Sicily within days or weeks whereas in Malta, migrants end up getting stuck here.

Malta’s call for solidarity will therefore continue and he is convinced the actual solution is to rope in Libya and look south at the countries which immigrants originate from.

"Europe as a whole must take ownership of the situation because we cannot do it alone," Dr Muscat said.

On his suggestions that Sweden should take migrants who land in Malta, he apologised for his “British sense of humour”, however pointed out that Ms Malmstrom's claims that the amount of migrants arriving in Malta was not alarming is wrong since the numbers have increased and continue to increase.

Dr Muscat highlighted that while speaking, there was an issue concerning 500 migrants out at sea and it was not yet clear where they were to land.

Consequently, he expects Ms Malmstorm not to diminish the size of the problem.

Mr Van Rompuy meanwhile said: "We can only solve problems via dialogue, negotiations, trust and confidence," adding that the enthusiasm to discuss was highly present in Valletta, referring to the talks at Castille. 

Migration was not the only subject discussed but one that featured at length.

Mr Van Rompuy said that the EU is already giving the issue its much deserved importance and pointed out that Malta received some €80 million from the EU in financial support between 2007 and 2013.

However, he said that money alone does not solve the problem. The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) was set up in Malta and there were other initiatives taken by the EU including border surveillance.

Hopefully, in the near future, rules of surveillance related to external sea borders will come into force, he said.

Mr Van Rompuy highlighted that the EU must address poverty, conflict, and human trafficking while enhancing surveillance. This was discussed with the Libyan deputy prime minister and Mr Van Rompuy is convinced the EU must do more on different levels.

Dr Muscat highlighted he reiterated the point of view that Malta cannot be left alone: “There is a sense of abandonment, citizens feel”.

In reply to questions on the racist comments being made by citizens over the past days, and his “botched” plan of pushbacks, he remarked the government had chosen its words very carefully. It said that no decision had been made and while no option was being discarded, the plan was “not botched”.

He said the racism and xenophobia come from a small minority and is totally uncalled for but he knows people are concerned on the issue. “Their worry should not be confused with racism because Malta has always given its best and will continue to do so,” he noted.

On this note, Mr Van Rompuy remarked Europe must find an effective solution to a humane problem, taking into account countries’ social capacity and social stability.