“This is a good way to explain it – every Maltese person who decided to live abroad now has the option to reclaim his Maltese citizenship as well as keeping his adopted citizenship. This also allows you an automatic EU citizenship,” said Dr Fenech Adami.

Dr Fenech Adami said Malta was one of the smallest islands in the Mediterranean, with a history that spanned millennia. “I find it mysterious that on this tiny island of ours, we have the oldest standing buildings in the world,” he said.

Malta’s binding belief, he said, was the belief in one all-powerful God. “This belief allows us to value the principles of solidarity. Maltese people will not only help a needy neighbour, but also those in need who live thousands of miles away,” said Dr Fenech Adami.

The President said that solidarity was the root of all politics in a modern democratic country. “The duty of every government is to make sure that it creates an environment where everyone can lead a decent life. We should thank God that Malta has had this environment for a number of years. And you are the people that can see the difference in the quality of life now and when you left Malta,” said the President.

Dr Fenech Adami said that if Maltese people stick to their values, the future will be even better still. He also said that these values were being threatened by a wave of “modernism”. “Solidarity is besieged by selfishness in the way that some people will, at all costs, chase personal pleasure and satisfaction,” he said.

Dr Fenech Adami also encouraged the Maltese public to keep looking at and defining family in its traditional sense rather than look for new definitions. “Family means a man and woman marrying for life and raising a family,” he said.