Consolidating the Good Bilateral Relations

Roberto Buontempo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Malta to Hungary, presented his credentials to the Hungarian President at the Sándor Palace in Budapest in the spring of 2024. Since then, while based in Malta, he has been actively involved in the maintenance of bilateral diplomatic relations. Diplomacy&Trade caught up with him at his recent visit to the Hungarian capital.

“Whenever I visit Hungary, I’m always struck by how open and welcoming people are, and how warmly I’m received. Like many of my fellow ambassadors, my role is to further strengthen the already excellent bilateral relations between our two countries. One of our current priorities is to increase the volume of bilateral trade and to expand the presence of Maltese businesses in Hungary, as well as Hungarian businesses in Malta. I am confident that these efforts will bring meaningful benefits to both nations,” he points out.

The best of both worlds
As to what differentiates him and his position from other ambassadors who are based here in Hungary, the Ambassador highlights that “there is definitely a challenge because once you are not on the ground, engagement needs to be selective and targeted. Whenever I’m here for official events like the annual reception by the Hungarian President in January, I try to include many meetings on the margin.”
He adds that this challenge, however, is mitigated because fortunately, he is able to utilize the very good connection by airlines that operate between Malta and Budapest. “So, if there is something that really and truly requires me to be here, physical presence is a quick and easy process. Serving as a non-resident ambassador offers the best of both worlds where I am able to maintain close ties with the authorities in Malta while also remaining readily available to engage with my counterparts in Budapest at short notice. I make it a point to visit Hungary around six times a year, and this is a rhythm that has worked very well over the past two years.”

Culture and education
One of the most successful areas of Maltese-Hungarian relations Ambassador Buontempo is involved in is cultural diplomacy on which, he says, he is trying to consolidate a lot. “In fact, this past December, Malta had a quartet, including two sopranos, a harpist and a clarinetist playing in three concerts in Székesfehérvár, SW of Budapest. The event was indeed a successful one, and I intend to build on this, where hopefully, next year, I am looking at taking a Hungarian ‘a cappella’ choir to perform in Malta. We are also engaged in sports cooperation where Malta tries to make arrangements as well for Hungarian athletes to attend training camps in Malta.”
There are a number of Maltese nationals studying at Budapest’s University of Veterinary Medicine with around 48 out of around 2,000 students being Maltese. “I have also facilitated a working connection between a Maltese higher education institution specializing in facilities management and the University of Veterinary Medicine of Budapest, where I am sure we will announce concrete collaboration soon. Perhaps, some of the courses can be done either together or can commence in Malta and continue in Hungary. We are in talks to try bring students from another university, the Budapest University of Economics and Business to carry out placements with the tourism industry in Malta,” he notes.
There is also the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, and the huge state of the art National Museum Conservation and Storage Center. He has recently visited it to talk about possible exchange of curators and conservation specialists between both countries. “Although Malta might not have the same resources, we consider Malta’s cultural heritage to be one that is very rich where we can actively contribute to achievements in this field,” he adds.
He underlines that there are around 2,500 Hungarians currently living in Malta officially, “but we believe this to be a conservative number with many more working or studying in Malta. When I'm invited to something organized in Malta by the Hungarian representative office in Malta, the theater is always full of Hungarians. So, the Hungarian community in Malta is very vibrant and the integration with the locals is fantastic.”

Good connection
Malta’s strategic geographical position makes it excellent for tourism. Statistical data shows that the number of Hungarian tourists to Malta has risen sharply in the past few years. The Ambassador stresses that this growth has a lot to do with the improvement of travel connections between the two countries, as well as with the activities of the Malta Tourism Authority’s long-time representative in Hungary, Edina Hangya. “She is doing a great job in representing Malta. In fact, a lot of Hungarians have come – and are coming – to visit Malta, as a result of word of mouth, providing good publicity for Malta. In my country, there are so many cultural opportunities for one to observe. For example, during the summer period, there are various cultural village celebrations in each locality, feasts (known as festi in Malta) that portray the Maltese way of celebrating patron saints, which is, obviously, a bit different than here in Hungary.”
Another growing trend in bilateral relations Ambassador Buontempo mentions – and that he would like it to increase even more – is that many young Hungarians are attending courses of English language there. “I believe that these English language schools in Malta are some of the best in this business where one can combine language studies with the benefit of the all-year-round good weather that the country has to offer.” Quoting numbers, last year, there were about 80,000 Hungarians that travelled to Malta for holiday purposes. It means an increase of 17.9% in just twelve months. The number of nights Hungarians spent there went up by 11.4% and the money spent by them showed a 12.6% increase. As for the English language students, there were about 1,200 Hungarians in Malta in 2025. “These figures are promising, and it is something Malta wants to improve. They are very encouraging for increased people-to-people contacts.”

Malta has its voice heard
Malta and Hungary joined the European Union together in 2004. Ambassador Buontempo points out that although Malta is a small country, it still has its voice heard within the EU and other international bodies.
“Despite our size, it has not deterred us from making our voice known on the international stage. Over the past years, our country held important positions including the Chairmanship in Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2024, the Presidency of the Council of Europe last year, and even served as an elected non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from 2023–2024. We firmly believe that we belong at the same table as all others. Our voice is present and active, and we are always ready to contribute constructively wherever required. We are also aligned with the majority of EU countries on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and seeking an end to the conflict in Ukraine. In light of our constitutional neutrality, we ensure that the contributions we provide serve goals in humanitarian assistance, not in armaments.”

Migration not unfamiliar to Malta
One of the issues that remain high on Malta’s agenda – given its geographical location in the Central Mediterranean – is migration.
The Ambassador stresses that “for most of its history, Malta has always been an important cross point in the Mediterranean and remains at the forefront of the irregular migration to Europe from North Africa. Malta has advocated, and continues to advocate, for the safe and regular migration as well as the safety of the person trying to reach the island. However, we always try to communicate effectively with our neighbors, including the rest of the EU nations, so that the burden does not fall only on Mediterranean countries. However, we also acknowledge that the situation and approach in each country is different. Malta has also embraced the need for regular migration as a means to continue to support our growing economy and fill in the human resource gaps in sectors such as healthcare, and the service industry.”

A friendly country with so much to give
Given the numerous attractions Malta has, the Ambassador stresses that those who come to Malta, as many thousands of Hungarians do each year, fall in love with it – with the people, the culture and the climate. “Malta’s history and culture offer endless opportunities for a Mediterranean experience. From a religious perspective, we have around 365 churches, where each one of them is like visiting a museum. The islands (Malta, Gozo and Comino) are surrounded by a crystal blue sea and you can walk around the coast wherever you want. One of the most beautiful destinations is the Blue Lagoon in Comino. We also have the oldest known freestanding temples built by people and are dated around 7,000 years old, making them even older than the pyramids of Egypt. Then, there is the warmth of the Maltese people. Visitors will also notice signs of our British heritage in our architecture, and one can still see the vintage English buses providing tours around the island. The vast majority of Maltese speak English, making communication easy. I believe that when people visit Malta, they can see what a friendly country it is, that has so much to offer for its size. It is also a safe country – I never felt any issues with that. So, I suggest for people to come no matter the season, as there is always so much to see and experience in Malta,” Ambassador Roberto Buontempo concludes.