Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not recite my previous statement on my reservations about implementation of the eastern partnership programme, about which I asked a number of questions in the past, but I will not labour the point, other than to say I was not happy that the Russian language element in the eastern portion of Ukraine had been adequately addressed. We saw what happened in Armenia and there were telltale signs way back that there would be a rough ride ahead for Ukraine. Nobody seemed to notice Armenia and its reasons for opting out of the eastern partnership programme. The former Soviet states of Albania and Moldova, in particular, will be feeling very insecure as a result of what is happening. Will the Minister of State assure me that the Europe Union is consciously boosting their morale, investing in and working alongside them in a more intensive way, given the ramifications of what is happening in Ukraine?