This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Black Sea Cultural Studies at the International Hellenic University.
When in 1971, the Labour Party led by Dominic Mintoff won the election it is often said that Malta opened special relations with the East. In the 1970s Malta took a determined stance towards a non-aligned policy. In that context, the Mintoff government strengthened relations with various countries. This entailed a heavy shift towards the East, including Black Sea countries. The dissertation is proposed to analyse Maltese policy towards four Black Sea area countries. i.e: Russia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania between 1971 and 1992. These dates will be put under analysis because as already noted, in this period, Malta experienced shifts in foreign policy. This dissertation will also analyse if there were any changes in Maltese foreign policy in the late 1980s when there was the transition of power from ‘Mintoffianism’ to Christian democracy.
The Soviet Union was eyeing on Malta to open an embassy from the late 1960s, and in the beginning of the 1980s there was the so called ‘bunkering system’ between the Soviet Union and Malta. Greece is not a Black Sea country per se, but it is included in the Black Sea Economic cooperation (BSEC) and has interests with the region for political and economic reasons. The relations between Malta and Greece should be understood as two neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean in the midst of the Cold War. Bulgaria and Romania too held special relations with Malta, keeping in mind the intentions of these countries at that time.
It must be noted that research of this sort was never done and primary sources such as newspapers, government documents and press releases were mainly used for this analysis.
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