MIDI said Sunday night it is committed to continue to act in good faith to find a solution in order to implement Government's stated objective for Manoel Island to revert to Government.

The company said will keep the market informed of any material developments in a timely and transparent manner.

MIDI acknowledged that recent public statements by Government have amplified calls for a review of the Manoel Island project's future.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that it is his dream that Manoel Island is returned to the people.

The MIDI consortium was granted a 99-year concession in 2000 - with the then Nationalist government getting the support of the Opposition Labour Party - to develop luxury apartments on both Manoel Island and Tigné Point. 

Last month, 29,000 people signed a petition calling for Manoel Island's transformation into a public park. 

While MIDI, in its statement Sunday, asserted that it remains fully compliant with its obligations under the existing Deed of Emphyteusis, the company nonetheless confirms that it is prepared to engage in constructive discussions with the government, guided by a commitment to protect public interest and the company's shareholders and bondholders.

MIDI said it recognised that the government has underscored its desire to convert Manoel Island into a national park. In light of this shift in Government's policy direction, the company is open to reaching an agreement that reflects current national priorities which are clearly different from those prevailing when the concession was granted.

In reply, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar said MIDI's announcement that it is ready to negotiate to return Manoel Island to the public comes as the culmination of seven years of perseverance and dogged campaigning by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and grassroots citizen activists, ultimately brought home along with the combined efforts of Moviment Graffitti, the support of over 40 NGOs and over 29,000 signatories.

With so much at stake, the development shows that when there is unity, people who believe in a cause and are prepared to fight for it, can change our country for the better! FAA and Moviment Graffitti hope that everyone across the political spectrum works together to obtain the best possible outcome for all parties, but most of all for the public.

Preserving Manoel Island as a heritage park will not only mean that the surrounding area will be spared the significant increase in traffic, air pollution and drainage pressure, it will also indicate that the community will not be deprived of a large chunk of the promenade. A park will provide the setting for public recreation and sport, allow the preservation of the Lazaretto, possibly Europe's oldest quarantine complex, strengthen Malta's identity, and provide an open, green and health-giving wooded area in Malta's most densely populated zone.

FAA's successful planning appeal regarding Manoel Island's heritage was vital to the outcome of this campaign. FAA now remains committed to work on the Valletta Management Plan and the UNESCO Buffer Zone, as one of our main arguments against the Manoel Island project was the blocking of views of the Valletta World Heritage Site.

FAA and Moviment Graffitti call for public support to enable the NGOs to ensure that the public gets the park it deserves and the protection of our national heritage. 

In a separate statement on Facebook, Graffitti welcomed these positive developments with satisfaction. The aim of the campaign Manoel Island: Post Għalina is precisely to see negotiations take place between both parties so that a unique place like Manoel Island - in the middle of a jungle of construction and congestion - becomes a park for the enjoyment of the people and the protection of the natural environment, rather than a cluster of luxury apartments.

"Since 2016 - when we cut down the fences that were illegally blocking access - we have been working so that Manoel Island can be enjoyed by the people, and we understand that the story does not end here. Together with the other groups in the Manoel Island: Post Għalina campaign, we will be closely following developments in this case to ensure that this dream truly becomes a reality. In the meantime, we want to draw attention to how the widespread activism of organisations, communities, and individuals has led to such an important outcome.

"Truly, the people have the power to bring about the necessary changes," Graffitti said.