Ambassador resigns over Hitler comment

Malta’s ambassador to Finland has resigned after writing a Facebook post comparing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Adolf Hitler and saying her aim was “to control Europe”.

The Maltese foreign ministry said yesterday that Michael Zammit Tabona’s comment “was not representative of the friendship and mutual respect between Malta and Germany”.

Mr Zammit Tabona had been a non-resident ambassador to Finland for six years.

The ministry said his resignation was accepted immediately.

In the Facebook post, since removed, he wrote: “75 years ago we stopped Hitler. Who will stop Angela Merkel? She has fulfilled Hitler’s dream! to control Europe.”

Maltese foreign minister Evarist Bartolo said Germany would receive an apology, the Times of Malta reports. Mr Bartolo told the newspaper that he had instructed the ambassador to remove the comment“as soon as I was alerted to it”.