Malta will officially launch its campaign bid to take up a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the year 2023 - 2024 in June next year, Foreign Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said in Parliament.

Abela, responding to a question posed by PL Whip Byron Camilleri, said that during the launch in June the government intends to unveil the political points that it will be focusing on in order for Malta to achieve its goal.

He explained that there are fifteen seats on the Security Council, five of which are held by five country's permanently, and 10 others to which countries are elected. He said that Malta last held a seat around 40 years ago. "There is an ocean's difference between the work that the council had to conduct back then, and the work it has now," the minister explained while stressing the need to increase the ministry's staff to deal with the bid.

Firstly, he said, the Maltese embassy in New york is not big enough and work is underway to have a new embassy.

He also said that as time goes on, more people would be needed. This month, he said, two more officials moved to New York, bringing the compliment up to the ambassador and six officials.