A stark abstract sculpture in weathered steel, its angular forms seem to lean towards one another. Most people walk straight past it. Which is extraordinary, because what it marks is the moment the Cold War was ended - right here in Birżebbuġa.
In December 1989, just weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, US President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev were supposed to meet on their respective warships anchored in open water off Malta. Then an exceptional storm hit, the plan collapsed, and they ended up sheltering in the bay here at Birżebbuġa, continuing their talks on the Soviet cruise ship Maxim Gorkiy. The press nicknamed it the "Seasick Summit".
The end of the Cold War, one of the most consequential moments of the twentieth century, happened right here, in Birżebbuġa, because of bad weather. The monument, designed by Maltese sculptor Marco Cremona and unveiled in 2019 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the summit, deliberately avoids depicting the two leaders. Instead, its abstract forms have been interpreted as two ships, or two figures, coming together, symbolising dialogue, reconciliation, and the fragile possibility of peace.
