Malta’s Culture Minister, Owen Bonnici, has confirmed that Malta will not pull out of Eurovision 2026, even if Israel is allowed to participate. His position stands despite increasing calls across Europe for boycotts tied to Israel’s involvement.
Minister Bonnici’s belief in dialogue
Speaking to Times of Malta, Bonnici stressed his view of Eurovision as a space for conversation rather than confrontation. He stated that although he strongly criticises the actions of the Israeli government, he believes the “door of dialogue must always remain open.” For him, Eurovision should be a safe space where understanding and exchange can happen, even amid political tensions.
The minister acknowledged that he had encountered comparable questions before, recalling past appeals to remove Russian composers from Maltese programming. Although the initial instinct was to respond with a ban, he ultimately concluded that culture should stay a forum for dialogue, a principle he still upholds today.
While emphasising that the circumstances with Russia and Israel are not the same, Bonnici maintained that both cases underline the need for culture to be a space of exchange rather than exclusion.
Malta’s Eurovision journey
Malta made its Eurovision debut in 1971, with Joe Grech performing “Marija I-Maltija” (Maria the Maltese Lass), finishing 18th with 52 points. Malta did not participate in Eurovision from 1975 until 1991, when it returned with the song “Could It Be” by Paul Giordimaina and Georgina, finishing 12th with 32 points. Since then, Malta has been at every Eurovision and finished in the top 10 an impressive 12 times. Their best result is second place, which they’ve achieved twice. The first time was in 2002, when Ira Losco sang “7th Wonder,” and the second time in 2005 with Chiara’s “Angel.”
Miriana Conte represented Malta in 2025 with her song “Serving”, previously known as “Kant”. Competing in the second semi-final, Malta qualified – ending their three-year-long non-qualification streak. Miriana would eventually finish in 17th place, earning a total of 91 points. Of these, 83 came from the juries, while just 8 came from televoters.
As Owen Bonnici said,do you think that Eurovision is a safe space where understanding and exchange can happen? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: timesofmalta.com
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Thomas James