Political relations between the United Arab Republic and Malta, 1964-1971

Abstract

The rapprochement between the United Arab Republic and Malta between 1964 and 1971 was dictated by the political situation and strategic concerns in the Mediterranean. That rapprochement began before Malta was granted its independence in 1964 since considerable contacts and exchanges took place between political groups in the two countries. Following the granting of sovereignty, the two sides began exchanging official correspondence on the establishment of diplomatic relations. The U.A.R. was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of Malta and the governments of the two countries appeared to have strengthened diplomatic exchanges by 1965. This took place at a time when Malta was within Britain’s direct sphere of influence following 164 years of colonial rule and the signing of the Treaty for Mutual Defence and Assistance (1964) while the U.A.R. had severed its relations with Britain. There is no doubt that the political relations between the two sides were further affected as a result of the 1967 War where Malta directly declared its commitment to neutrality due to its good relations between the two warring parties. The Government of Malta took great care in informing the government of the UAR of the justifications for its neutrality; while the Government of the UAR considered ’Malta’s commitment to neutrality as evidence of ’Malta’s commitment to fostering good relations. Maltese Prime Minister, "George Borg Olivier", known to be pro- Western in his outlook" tried to contribute to a peace proposal between the UAR and Israel to no avail. A change in government in Malta in 1971, following the victory of the Malta Labour Party led by Dom Mintoff, resulted in the deepening of relations between the two sides."" This research paper uses various sources to clarify various aspects of the U.A.R. – Malta relations. Sources include Egyptian, Maltese, British, American, and Israeli archival documents and newspapers together with United Nations documents, U.A.R.in addition to other secondary sources which serve to shed light on this period.