Ambassador Ray Azzopardi moved from NATO to Argotti Gardens

Ray Azzopardi, the former head of the Labour Party’s ONE radio station and until a few months ago Malta’s ambassador to Belgium and NATO, has been redeployed to another government job outside the diplomatic corps.

Minister Miriam Dalli, Azzopardi’s former colleague at the PL’s media company, has appointed the former ambassador as head of the Botanic Gardens in Floriana, better known as l-Argotti, which the University of Malta uses as a research centre

Azzopardi’s appointment as head of the botanical gardens follows a similar manoeuvre made for former ONE TV chairman Jason Micallef.

Upon his resignation from the TV station, Micallef was placed by Prime Minister Robert Abela in a new role created specifically for him as head of Malta’s Ta’ Qali National Park. He has also retained his other public post as Chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency.

Azzopardi – a veteran Labour stalwart known for his role as master of ceremonies for Labour Party mass meetings, particularly during the leadership of disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat – was made Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in 2014.

Unlike other ambassadors usually appointed for three-year terms, Azzopardi spent more than seven years heading Malta’s embassy in the Belgian capital.

Although Malta has traditionally been represented at NATO by a senior Armed Forces of Malta officer, Muscat gave this responsibility to Azzopardi.

He returned to Malta last year and right away began presenting a new radio programme on Labour’s radio station about village feasts.

In addition to Azzopardi, Muscat had also appointed his former ONE colleague Norman Hamilton as Malta’s Hugh Commissioner in London.

Upon his return to Malta, Hamilton was appointed as Chairman of Festivals Malta, a new government agency responsible for organising music festivals and other events. The Prime Minister replaced him earlier this year with his events manager Aaron Zahra.