Prime Minister, Hon. Lawrence Gonzi during his speech.

Maltese Heritage on show at Les Invalides

Address by the Hon. Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister, at the inauguration of the knights of St. John’s exhibition with the theme “between the battlesword and the cross: masterpieces of the armoury of Malta,” - hotel des invalides, Paris, France – Monday, 20 0ctober 2008

It is with great personal satisfaction and honour that I stand here this evening to open this important exhibition. This exhibition not only showcases Malta’s rich cultural history but also symbolises the deep and long-standing relationship that exists between our two countries.

We are proud today to exhibit, here in Paris, some of our best pieces of armour pertaining to the Knights of St. John. The bulk of the artefacts shown in this exhibition are from Malta’s armoury which was built by the French Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt and housed in the Magisterial Palace in Valletta. This armoury, which became a showpiece reflecting the Order’s military power and glory, is today acting as Malta’s very own showcase of its rich cultural history. It is by further exploiting our heritage that we would like to continue transforming the Maltese islands into a unique Mediterranean tourist destination. We believe that this exhibition will contribute further to the healthy and increasing flow of French tourists to Malta.

Today, Malta and France enjoy a good relationship not only on the cultural and historical level. In spite of these existing good relations and the benefits we are deriving and experiencing, there is still more that can be done.

During the course of its history, the Maltese people have demonstrated an ability to develop the island into one of the most successful small nations. Inspired by this, my Government has formulated a vision for Malta so that by 2015 a number of key sectors will be developed and help us achieve a comparative advantage. France is already contributing in this vision and I augur that it will continue being an important participant and contributor in the process.

One of the identified key sectors in the above-mentioned vision is education and the collaboration on this front between our two countries is very good too, thanks in particular to the endeavours of the Alliance Francaise. I would also like to commend the ongoing cooperation in the field of high education especially in the fields of science and technology. In this regard, I recall with satisfaction the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding by means of which Maltese students are undergoing training in French enterprises and high-tech laboratories. I look forward to seeing more cooperation agreements of this type in the future.

Over the last few years our economic relations have also been very good and my Government has made a conscious effort to increase Malta’s visibility as an investment opportunity in France. The recently signed double taxation agreement is a testimony to this. Now that we also share the euro as our common currency there is definitely scope for more synergies in this area. In recent years, France has been one of Malta’s top three trading partners and trade between our countries remains healthy.

In spite of this, there is still room for improvement. Malta continued investing in creating an enabling environment that has the potential to foster new business activity with France and attract high quality investment, especially in our fast-growing high value-added sectors.

Our bilateral relations can be defined as excellent, thanks to our mutual membership in the European Union, which in itself puts our relations on a special level. In this regard, Malta fully supported the French Presidency in its endeavours towards the successful completion of a European Pact on Migration. Malta also looks forward to cooperate closely with France in the Union of the Mediterranean initiative.

I am especially pleased to note that this exhibition is part of the European cultural season under the French Presidency as it truly embodies the deep and fruitful collaboration between our two countries at all levels.

My sincere gratitude goes to Ambassador Cremona, who together with the respective French and Maltese authorities made this exhibition possible. I would also like to thank you all for being present this evening and for appreciating our culture and history.

However, let us use this exhibition not only as a recollection of our past and common heritage but, it should also engender faith and hope in what is to come in the future through our shared effort and unity.