On 22 July, Italian President Sergio Mattarella starts an official visit to Malta. I still remember when, as a student at Paola’s Primary School, I was taken, together with the rest of the school to Paola’s main square, to welcome the Italian President Giovanni Leone as he passed through Paola Square. It was the first time that an Italian President was visiting the island. From that distant date in the 70s, other Presidents have come on official visits, including Scalfaro, Cossiga and Napolitano.

Perhaps today, taking schoolchildren to attend public manifestations is deemed inappropriate. In my case, my presence at the Paola Square with two flags, the Maltese in one hand and the Italian one in the other, is still impressed on my mind. It was the first time that I had come in direct contact with Italian culture. 

Beyond these ceremonial aspects, visits by Heads of State should go beyond political and bilateral relations. In the case of Mattarella, this visit should be an opportunity for Malta to put into practice her self-projected role as a bridge between continents and cultures.

While one can always leave the nitty-gritty of bilateral relations to the Office of Foreign Affairs, I believe that there is a third role that the President of the Republic of Malta ought to consider. I must confess that I was never a great fan of the late Guido de Marco but I cannot but recognise his efforts to give a new role to the presidency. I strongly believe that the current president should build on what de Marco started. De Marco had a vision of the presidency as an intermediary between conflicting parties. For this reason, he sought to act as an intermediary between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Today, we all appreciate the great job he did and I am sure that his efforts are bearing fruit. 

This is where our current President, Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca, should step in and continue the great work initiated by Guido. She is the antithesis of Guido de Marco, for Guido sought the centre stage. He had a macro view of society. Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca instead is similar to Sergio Mattarella. They are not prima donnas. Their preferences are at micro-level; to have direct contact with individuals who are in distress. This is Mattarella’s and Coleiro-Preca’s area of strength. I foresee an occasion where they can jointly put to good use their commitment towards the common good.

One issue that comes to mind as I write, and which must be close to the heart of the Italian President, is the case of the two serving Italian Marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone. They were deployed to protect an oil tanker on its way to Egypt from sea pirates. During the voyage, these two marines got entangled in a situation more akin to a Greek tragedy. They mistook a fishing boat for sea pirates. They fired and two Indian fishermen were killed.

This tragic story became an international cause célèbre, with the two countries, Italy and India, wrangling over their judicial rights in this case. I am sure that beyond what some may qualify as the murder of those poor fishermen, there is the pride of two great nations, India and Italy. But this pride is creating new tragedies on an individual and family level. The families of the poor fishermen have not yet seen an end to their sad story. In Italy, two families are being deprived of their loved ones, though one of the marines has now been allowed to return to Italy as he needs medical care. They were in the news recently after India accepted that they should be judged by an international court. I consider this a sign of good will.

At least, both sides have started to realize that this is not the typical story of victims and perpetrators as there are only victims on both sides. For this reason, I don’t think that the best place to solve this problem is in a court of law. I wish to go one step further.

Both Italy and India should take the cue from Nelson Mandela. He had already shown the way forward for this type of situation. After years and years in prison, the first thing that Mandela did after he was released from prison, was to have coffee with his jailor. This action has remained imprinted in the collective mind of the whole world. Perhaps, in normal circumstances, one would expect the innocent to make harsh discourse about his perpetrator and not have coffee with him. It is this type of action that makes a person great. Mandela defied all past historical logic where political greatness was (and is still) linked with military might.

This is the model that both India and Italy should emulate and it is here where Malta can play a major role. Malta has the privileged position that it was never a colonizing power. On the contrary, Malta has the same historical narrative as India. Both were colonized by Britain. Today, Malta is an equal partner with India and Britain. They are members of the Commonwealth. At the same time, Malta is also a member of the EU. One must remember that Italy is one of the founding members of the European Union and let’s say it, without Italy’s help, I have my reservations whether Malta would have made it into the EU. Today, Italy and Malta are equal partners on a European level.

Therefore, Malta has the right credentials to act as a bridge to bring a fair solution to this human tragedy. I think that the right candidate to act as an intermediary is our President. I sincerely augur that during Mattarella’s visit, our President offers to use our historic credentials to find a humanitarian solution to this international problem. The meeting of the Commonwealth nations next November can be the right gateway. At least, the Commonwealth meeting will not serve merely as a showcase of a bygone era, but through tangible mediation, Malta through her President can prove to the world that this Association still has value in world politics.