President of Malta defends sale of citizenship

President of Malta George Abela has defended his government's decision to make citizenships for his country available for sale to non-EU citizens, saying it represents an investment for his country. Abela made the comments at a press conference in the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday where he was joined by Austrian President Heinz Fischer, Austria Press Agency reported. Despite the controversy surrounding the issue including condemnation from the European Parliament and Maltese opposition parties, Abela said Malta had not been expressly mentioned in the European Parliament resolution. In addition all granted citizenships are first subject to compliance with EU values, he said. Maltese government officials are expected to discuss the issue with the EU Commission in the coming days. Also discussed between the two leaders was the issue of refugees, who mainly come into Malta from across the Mediterranean, while for Austria most are from Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and Chechnya. Abela said Malta could not cope with the influx of refugees into his country alone, but added he sees signs of progress in European solidarity on the issue, while Fischer mentioned his country's relatively high intake of refugees compared to some Southern European nations.