Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support very much the principle of partnership because it implies equality. While we acknowledge the sovereignty of each of the three countries, is there a sense that this is throwing down the gauntlet to Russia because there are disputed areas in each of the three countries? I do not think the principle of self-determination is very much respected by the Russian authorities.

The Minister mentioned trade related reforms. Could he expand on what he means by that? We were to debate the Colombia free trade agreement. In that context, concerns arose about workers' rights and related issues. Is the Minister confident that the issues we examined in the context of Colombia are also significantly addressed in the three trade agreements under discussion?