The Maltese Foreign Affairs Minister, Carmelo Abela, has said that with border control and a better management of migration being a main concern for European citizens, the leaders of the European Union states should strive to bridge the divide in communication with the public on these issues.

This should be done while seeking ways to work together to address the issue in a holistic manner, he said. "It is imperative that the EU recognises that the discussion on migration should also include the positive human potential of this phenomenon."

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela was speaking during a panel discussion held as part of the 13^th edition of the annual Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) in Slovenia.

The BSF, which is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, is an international conference which brings together a diverse set of participants, including heads of state and government, ministers, diplomats, businesspeople, scholars and experts, youth, and media from around the world. The forum focuses on engaging the participants in discussions about, and seeking out-of-the-box solutions, for regional and global challenges. Under the theme 'Bridging the Divide', this year's event took place on 10 and 11 September 2018.

During the panel debate titled , Minister Abela stated that, at the start of the European project, the search for peace and security was the main impetus which brought the participating countries together to work on a common project, which eventually evolved into the EU of today."