Foreign Minister Michael Frendo had come round to the Labour Party’s way of thinking, Labour MP Leo Brincat told a political conference at Zurrieq.

Mr Brincat, the party’s spokesman on foreign affairs and information technology, said the Labour Party had long been saying that decisions relating to oil drilling were linked to political decisions which needed to be taken together with neighbouring countries. Dr Frendo was now saying the same, though in the past he may have indicated otherwise, Mr Brincat said.

On foreign trade, he said that while the Labour Party document on its vision on foreign affairs made clear that the party felt that the foreign ministry should have a wider role in investment promotion, expanding foreign trade and employment creation, the minister has been reported saying there was a need for the foreign trade division to fall under his ministry’s responsibility and that he was thinking about drawing up a document on foreign trade policy. Dr Frendo’s ministry, Mr Brincat said, had issued its document on strategic aims a long time ago.

Mr Brincat said that today even a technical subject such as climate change was no longer considered a purely environmental subject and was being treated both diplomatically as well as economically. A new Labour government would promote new ideas and initiatives in foreign affairs while continuing to respect the basic values and principles the Labour Party had always followed.