Helsinki conference 40 years on: Malta's tactics won the battle and lost the war - Busuttil

The great challenges of our times are migration, terrorism, climate change, and tackling them in a spirit of cooperation built on trust, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today. He was speaking at a conference marking the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki conference on cooperation and security in Europe. That conference is best remembered for the way it was held up by Dom Mintoff until delegates agreed to link security and cooperation in Europe with that of the Mediterranean.   Dr Busuttil said some of the goals the Helsinki process set out to achieve have now been long achieved and superseded.   What was in 1975 Communist Eastern Europe behind the iron curtain was now fully integrated in the European Union covering West and East, Northern and Southern Europe.  "The Helsinki Final Act is proof of what can be achieved when states decide to focus on common efforts rather than on their differences. It was an agreement between parties which knew that opposing views would not change in the near future but agreed to work together on a change for the better. The Helsinki Final Act is a true testament of diplomatic achievements," he said.  "Along with the then Yugoslavia, Malta had...