Plans have been approved by the Office of the Prime Minster to announce a major reshuffle of Maltese ambassadors, with former Labour MP Joseph Cuschieri earmarked to become Malta’s Ambassador to Italy.
Mr Cuschieri has served as Malta’s Ambassador to Greece for the past four years.
Mr Cuschieri, who four years ago had no diplomatic experience whatsoever, was given the Athens post by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat after failing to be re-elected to the European Parliament, where he served as an MEP between 2011 and 2014.
In 2008, after Dr Muscat’s election as leader of the Labour Party, Mr Cuschieri gave up his seat in the House of Representatives so that Dr Muscat could be co-opted to Parliament. He was later given a job with the Labour Party.
Maltese senior diplomats said that Mr Cuschieri’s move to Rome is being interpreted as a promotion as he will now be responsible for Malta’s “busiest and most important diplomatic mission”.
“It was already a bit too far to send a political appointee with no diplomatic experience to Athens. Moving him to Rome is a bit too far as we have always had senior diplomats in Malta’s most important mission abroad,” the sources said.
Strong diplomatic...
