Press release
Tánaiste to attend Foreign Affairs Council
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, will attend a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 13 November. EU Foreign Ministers will discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, developments in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the foreign policy dimension of economic security.
Speaking ahead of the visit, the Tánaiste said:
"The EU is facing a critical juncture at this moment, with respect to both the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine.
"It is imperative that EU Member States come away from the Foreign Affairs Council today with clarity on the tangible actions the EU is set to take and the messages we will deliver.
"The situation in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territory continues to be extremely distressing, particularly the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I will stress today, as I have continued to do over past few weeks, the urgent need to ensure the protection of civilians as a priority and for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow for the provision of aid. The EU stands on the side of international law and must do so in this situation.
"This war is achieving nothing but death and misery. It needs to stop.”
On Ukraine the Tánaiste said:
"Now, more than ever, it is vital that the EU provides a strong signal of EU unity in terms of our continued commitment to Ukraine. We welcome the annual Enlargement reports issued by the Commission last week, which are a necessary and valuable reference point in the next phase in the EU enlargement process and will likely form part of our discussion today. We remain of the view that eventual EU membership is the ultimate security guarantee that can be provided to Ukraine.”