The Maltese government has condemned recent developments in Crimea, and is insisting that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers in Brussels today, Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella called on all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further provocative actions and immediately defuse the situation.

Dr Vella expressed Malta's full support for further political dialogue to prevail, maintaining that provocative rhetoric can easily spiral the situation out of control.

In this regard, he called for the full observance of the UN Charter and relevant international agreements, as well as the provisions of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum of Understanding – which saw Ukraine hand over the Soviet-era nuclear weapons in its territory to Russia in return for guarantees from Russia, the US and the UK – and other agreements.

The minister also insisted that the international community should resort to all available diplomatic tools to ensure that bilateral treaties between Russia and Ukraine are observed in full, and expressed support for an EU role in facilitating contact between the two sides.

He said that all channels of dialogue with Moscow should be utilised, including through important interlocutors such as the OSCE and Council of Europe, but also pointed out that the EU should encourage the Ukrainian government to engage in all-inclusive dialogue taking into account the concerns of all minorities within its territory. He also noted that Malta fully supports the possibility of the EU forming part of an international mediation mission.

With respect to the possibility of targeted sanctions against Russia, Dr Vella emphasised that the priority should be to stabilise the situation and refrain from any further action that might escalate tensions. He chose not to rule out the EU re-evaluating the impact that further escalation by Russia could have on future EU-Russia relations.

He concluded by stating that the EU should fully support empowering Ukrainians to determine their own future and elect a new government which enjoys broad support and reflects the aspirations of all the country. He said that the EU must stand ready and willing to back their choices, including through financial and economic assistance.