Open door policy

Malta's ambassador to Denmark proves diplomacy can be spontaneous and off-the-cuff, writes The Copenhagen Post:

..During the dog days of summer, finding a story for the diplomatic page can be somewhat challenging: embassy hours are shortened, ambassadors are vacationing abroad and official events are rare.With no interview set up for this week?s issue and no invitation to a national holiday reception, we decided to create a journalistic challenge: Take a walk down embassy row on Ameliagade and find out how long it takes to meet an ambassador without scheduling a prior appointment..

..On to the next embassy, the Mediterranean nation of Malta, which opened its Copenhagen office in 2002 during the run-up to its EU accession. The embassy's sign stated they were closed during lunch hours, but we decided to walk up the stairs anyway. Luckily, two men were moving a leather sofa into the office and we slipped in and presented ourselves to Paul Radmilli, the deputy head of the diplomatic mission...Within a few minutes, the doors to Ambassador Noel Buttigieg-Scicluna burst open and we were welcomed into his office.

I was wondering when The Copenhagen Post would be along to interview me, he laughed. I was beginning to think there was something wrong. But I guess you saved the best for last.? In the ensuing 20-minute interview, the ambassador shared his impressions of diplomatic life in Denmark, discussed his passion for antique collecting, and managed to make a sales pitch for visiting Malta - even though the meeting was unscheduled and his secretary was on holiday. The ambassador himself had just returned from two weeks of holiday in his homeland, where life settles down to a relaxing pace in the summer and the Maltese enjoy the sun, the sea and eating long dinners together.

Maltese people are lovers of their homes. They inherit this from their families, he says. To decorate his residence in Denmark, the ambassador has taken up antique collecting. He confesses a passion for potting around to various markets looking for interesting products of a lost age. In this world of mass production, it's a pleasure to appreciate pieces which people have poured their mastery and insight into. We are losing that workmanship today...