Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia as an “exceptional circumstance”, saying everybody wanted justice to be done.

The reaction of anger and grief to this barbaric act shows that this was an exceptional circumstance. “I am proud of our people and their reactions because it shows that we all want justice to be done,” he said. 

Malta, like other countries, does not live in a cocoon and "we can fall victim to financial, security and climatic circumstances. The reaction of our people and our institutions was very strong and shows that our democratic credentials are second to none", said the Prime Minister.

Speaking at the Global Citizenship Seminar in Dubai, Muscat said that the IIP is just one of the components of Malta’s strong economy. 

Malta’s economy is strong “in spite of” the Individual Investment Programme (IIP) and this is what makes the programme even stronger, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. 

The Prime Minister said that Malta’s Citizenship by Investment programme is not about cash or getting money to Malta. We are not in the business of giving away or to commoditize citizenship. It is not about cash or rich people and trying to get a slice out of them. 

“The raison d’etre of our programme is not about getting the richest people to buy something. It’s about interaction and seeing how to match the right people to the programme. Our experience has been completely opposite. Most of the people who applied were not the headline grabbers, known people. Most of the time they would fit the profile of being hardworking, self-made individuals, who have a strong global network”, said the Prime Minister.
He said that Malta is not after the money of the programme. The country is after attracting the right people, with the right talent and having the right network. We are achieving this and we are proud of what we have achieved so far.

Malta’s economy is getting used to a growth rate, which currently stands at around 6%. From a 4% deficit, Malta nowadays has a 1% surplus, debt to GDP ratio is down, and unemployment is non-existent. Malta is doing well in spite of the Individual Investor Programme, which is just one part of why Malta is doing so well. This makes the programme even stronger because Malta is not dependent on it, said the Prime Minister.

While in Dubai, Muscat met the Chairman of the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and discussed possible areas of collaboration with Malta.

ENOC believe that Malta is an ideal place to expand its business in the region.

The Prime Minister explained to ENOC the advantages of Malta’s business environment and discussed various opportunities for the two sides. ENOC explained that it is the company’s policy to expand to other regions.