52 years ago, a Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was held in Helsinki, Finland. It was an important conference which sought to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West. Malta was represented in Helsinki by then Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.

When the conference, attended to by the big powers of Europe and beyond, was close to reaching a deal, the Maltese Prime Minister was close to pulling off the plug. It is remembered in history as 'Mintoff's Helsinki moment' - a classical case of true leadership and tough but excellent negotiation skills. 

In Helsinki, Mintoff had threatened to use a veto unless in the Helsinki Final Act, it was specifically stated that "security in Europe... is closely linked with security in the Mediterranean."

Mintoff prevailed, and it is now a staple of diplomacy that there can be no peace in Europe without peace in the Mediterranean region. 

It was Mintoff too who spoke of a Europe which could on the one hand be the kind and peaceful Europe, the Europe of 'Abel', with reference to the Biblical figure or that of 'Cain', Abel's brother - who stood for evil and sinister intentions. The Quran also speaks about those two figures (Qabil and Habil) and therefore this reference is immediately understandable by Christians and Muslims alike.  At the time, Mintoff was referring to the possibilities of how Europe could evolve.

The dramatic changes within the European Union that we are witnessing today could lead to the creation of two alternate futures - the creation of a Europe of Abel or the creation of a Europe of Cain. As a neutral country actively working towards peace, Malta is in the thick of it.

The European Commission, led by Commissioner Ursula Von der Leyen, is promoting the idea of ReArm Europe. It boils down to the allocation of billions of Euros to EU member states to invest in weapons and other tools of war.

It is a loan scheme that states must pay back over a few years. Malta shall not be part of this scheme with Prime Minister Robert Abela insisting that Malta's role - as stated by Mintoff more than half a decade ago, is that of an interlocutor of peace and not a warmonger. Whilst respecting Malta's decision (and this in itself is a feather in Dr Abela's cap which must never be underestimated), the Commission seems determined to plod on with its weaponization programme.

Maltese MEP and President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, is a huge fan of ReArm and has also insisted that Malta should be part of this weaponization programme. In her second term as President of the EU Parliament, Metsola has taken a huge interest in military affairs and advocates for an EU militarization strategy and programme. Her true motivations and personal ambitions are unclear. Metsola says that the EU must no longer rely on others in case of aggression by third parties, and therefore, Europe must arm itself. Locally, her enthusiasm for weaponization is met by fierce opposition from the most Maltese and Gozitans alike.

Metsola, like most of the people within the current Nationalist Party, is totally out of sync with the reality and aspirations of our citizens. In Metsola's case, she is giving the increasing impression of being totally detached from the reality in her home country. 

Not only do the Maltese citizens abhor war, but there is widespread agreement amongst our people that Malta's role is that of an advocate for peace and this is not a recent change of heart by the Maltese, but a long-established position. 

God forbid that the European Union, which was born out of a necessity to create and foster peace, panders to the idea of turning itself into a Europe of Cain. 

Since the day we obtained our Freedom, Malta has staunchly safeguarded its neutrality, and as long as Labour is in government, it shall continue to do so. 

Neutrality does not mean staying put when faced with conflicts and flagrant abuse of human rights across the globe or sitting on the fence. Malta unequivocally condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the barbaric attacks by Israel on Gaza that left thousands of people dead. 

Prime Minister Robert Abela and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg spoke clearly about these conflicts in countless summits and international conferences. Malta does not simply condemn these events of grave concern, but it acts too. However, our actions are not military, as the likes of Metsola and her PN peers advocate for but calls for peace and dialogue.

History has taught us that it is only through diplomacy and co-operation that peace can truly be achieved.

The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States of America was buried in the choppy waters of the Marsaxlokk Bay, in December of 1989, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H.W. Bush met on board a vessel and made peace. That was a remarkable turning point in the history of the world.

The Nationalist administration of the time, led by Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, had offered Malta as the location for the brokerage of peace. Fenech Adami had, at the time, continued Mintoff's foreign affairs policy and legacy. 

Successive Maltese governments kept promoting peace unfailingly, and the current Labour government has gone one step further, and faced with a European Union that wants to weaponize itself the government, led by Robert Abela, stood tall. Malta, Abela said, shall not be part of this 'initiative' explaining how neutral Malta stood for peace.

What happened in Helsinki 52 years ago remains relevant today. A shift in Europe's stand on peace and security means that a neutral country like Malta must increase its efforts to promote peace and to insist that militarization leads to further turmoil, conflicts, and wars. 

Rather than choosing the 'easy' way out, the EU must realize that the negotiation tables are the only viable solutions. 

Metsola foolishly thinks that it is 'about damn time' that Europe buys arms and weapons of war. She thinks that the EU can no longer rely on the US for its security and that, therefore, it must have its own military and weapons. But her approach will only compound further chaos and political instability. No matter the tenants at the Whitehouse, Europe must reach out and discuss through its many diplomatic channels and platforms. 

Discussing peace does not mean compromising one's principles. Mintoff did not compromise his, and Malta's, firm stand as an interlocutor of peace at the Helsinki summit, but he brought change through the negotiation tables.

The EU Brussels based leaders would do well to learn from Mintoff's leadership in the face of adversity. 

We do not want a Europe of Cain.