Taoiseach Micheál Martin attending the Munich Security Conference
- Published on: 14 February 2025
- Last updated on: 14 February 2025
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will travel to Munich today (Friday) to attend the annual Munich Security Conference. The conference is regarded as the world’s leading discussion forum for international security policy, and is attended by senior political figures, including many heads of state/government, as well as leading policy experts.
Over the next two days, the Taoiseach will attend a number of events and hold bilateral meetings with other leaders. On Saturday (15 February) the Taoiseach will participate in an event hosted by President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on global food security.
Speaking ahead of his attendance, the Taoiseach said:
“At a time of heightened tension globally, my attendance at the Munich Security Conference provides an important opportunity to discuss our many shared challenges and to set out our perspective on how best to manage these challenges.
“Ireland is, and will remain militarily neutral, and that is well understood and respected. But this does not remove us from the discussion on how we meet the security risks faced by us all and how we keep ourselves safe, especially from new cyber and hybrid threats.
“I will be reiterating Ireland’s long-standing support for a robust rules-based international order, strong multinational institutions and our unambiguous commitment to international law and fundamental human rights.
“I will also be engaging with other leaders to discuss the most pressing challenges to global security, not least Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
“It is more important than ever to stress our steadfast support for Ukraine and our strong commitment to helping them achieve a just and sustainable peace based on the principles of the UN Charter. The terms and conditions for any peace agreement must be in line with these principles. There can be no agreement on Ukraine without Ukraine.
“On the situation in Gaza, we need to work with partners to ensure the continued implementation of the hostage release and ceasefire deal, and a continued surge in unhindered humanitarian assistance. I will also discuss with partners the prospects for a lasting peace settlement, based on a two-state solution.”