SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning, everyone.  It’s a real pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Borg here to Washington, to the State Department.  Ian, it’s great to have you here.  We have a strong partnership with Malta, one that on a bilateral basis is growing even stronger.  I look forward to discussing that.  And of course we’re welcoming Malta as a member of the UN Security Council starting in January.  We very much look forward to partnering with Malta on the Security Council.  Virtually all of the critical issues that we have to contend with are going through the council, so I look forward to our collaboration there and to talking about that.  But mostly, welcome.  It’s great to have you here.

FOREIGN MINISTER BORG:  Mr. Secretary of State, dear Tony, thank you for the invitation. It’s always a pleasure being in company of a seasoned diplomat, and a stalwart defender of liberty.  Our countries have longstanding and friendly relations bound by shared values and principles, with the ultimate goal of preserving and upholding the international rules-based order, with the UN being at its forefront.

We take the opportunity of today’s constructive discussions to take our ties to a higher level.  The fact that we will also be sitting on the Security Council as a non-member – as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, as an EU member state. We’re facing also challenging times, particularly with the war in Ukraine.  Malta does not stand idle, and that is why we continue to reiterate in the strongest terms possible our condemnation of the unprovoked invasion of Russia in Ukraine.

Peace is indivisible, and no region is spared of the multitude of threats we’re facing. The Mediterranean is also one of them, and that is why we will continue to support all efforts for anything that can contribute towards peace and dialogue. Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you, my friend. Come on in.