ISTANBUL

Malta took over the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers presidency on Wednesday from Luxembourg with vows to support Ukraine.

Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ian Borg took over the presidency of the Committee of Ministers from his counterpart Xavier Bettel in Luxembourg, where a meeting of foreign ministers was held.

“It is precisely during such difficult times marked by attacks on multilateralism and the international rules-based order that the importance of our renewed commitment to dialogue and shared values of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law becomes ever more pronounced,” Borg said during a joint news conference with Bettel and the Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset.

Pointing out the “emerging social and geopolitical tensions,” Borg reaffirmed that solidarity with Ukraine would be at the heart of their efforts. “Achieving a just and lasting peace remains the ultimate goal. We strongly hope for an agreement on an unconditional ceasefire. This remains an urgent first step to halt human suffering and also ensure genuine and meaningful peace talks,” he said.

Borg noted that issues regarding the protection of children and women, the promotion of equality and inclusivity, the upholding of human dignity, and the prevention of hate crimes would be focused on during his presidency.

Berset also reiterated the significance of supporting Ukraine, democracy, and diversity during the joint conference, further mentioning the plans to create a special tribunal to judge crimes in Ukraine.

“It's one thing to recognize that such a crime (of aggression) exists; then you need some kind of a judicial body to adjudicate, and that is why we worked on that to create a special tribunal to try and hold Russia accountable, because we realized that in the world in which we live, we can't have violence, destruction, and impunity prevailing,” he added.