On 1 February 2016, the Hon. Prime Minister of Malta, Dr. Joseph Muscat unveiled a plaque at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta in the presence of the MaltaPost Chairman Mr. Joseph Said. The plaque commemorates the Malta Conference of 1945 and the Malta Summit of 1989 - two events that took place in Malta and which foreshadowed the start of and the end of the Cold War.
The Russian Ambassador to Malta, H.E. Mr. Vladminir Malygin, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America to Malta, Mr Terrence Flynn, the British Deputy High Comissioner to Malta, Ms. Amy Smith were also present for the unveiling of the plaque ceremony.
In a short address, the Hon. Prime Minister of Malta Dr. Joseph Muscat highlighted the key role that Malta played in these important events. "Stamps, as featured on this plaque keep history alive and we as Maltese, are proud to have been instrumental in bringing these nations together".
The plaque is inspired by two stamps previously issued by MaltaPost. The first stamp on the plaque features President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill who both visited Malta in 1945 for preliminary meetings, prior to the Yalta Conference. The Yalta Conference of 1945 brought together the Heads of Government of United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union represented by President Franklin D.Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin respectively to discuss Europe's reorganisation following the end of World War II.
The second stamp on the plaque portrays the meeting between US President George H.W. Bush and USSR Premier Mikhail Gorbachev which was held in Malta in 1989, weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This meeting marked the end of the Cold War.
The plaque is the work of sculptor Joseph Chetcuti from the Funderija Artistika Chetcuti.
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