Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his address and, in particular, compliment him on the launch of the foreign policy review, to which the committee contributed. I have no doubt that it will set a very useful benchmark for Irish foreign policy.

I am not sure whether the European Union is sufficiently respected for its genuine interest in neighbourhood countries such as Ukraine. It appears Russia has taken the attitude that it will ignore the views of the Union and the United Nations and any other commentary and is hellbent on pursuing its own objectives, whatever they may be. We have read in recent times about allegations about Russian aircraft flying in airspace close to our territory. To what extent is the European Union conscious of what appears to be another Cold War developing? Have adequate steps been taken to address these issues? What steps can be taken to address them other than by imposing sanctions? How successful are sanctions likely to be? Will they lead to the Russian authorities becoming even more determined? It is fair to say they are certainly not in pursuit of democracy. The point I am emphasising is that the European Union has a huge population, as does Russia, but the diplomatic influence of and weight of opinion within the Union are not sufficiently respected, certainly not by the Russians.

The situation in the Middle East has been referred to. It is sad to see that the peace process has stalled. As far as I can see, there is no chance of anything happening. My colleague, Deputy Brendan Smith, has referred to the rebuilding programme in Gaza, but it is never likely to succeed because it will take at least 20 years to complete, given the current rate of progress. The question then arises as to the extent to which the European Union can influence the Israeli authorities with a view to trying to establish some normal relations and a peace process in which the various bodies involved can make their case and have it dealt with.

My next point concerns the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I am glad to note that some attention has been paid to this issue in recent times. When attention is divided, as is the case throughout Europe, there are many competing issues, one of which is the possible exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, which is a distraction. Another is the wars in several countries surrounding Bosnia-Herzegovina. The international environment in which the European Union plays a major role is another issue to be examined. All of these issues are distractions that divert attention from the very important matter of what is happening internally in the European Union, particularly in the western Balkans. Will the Minister tell me whether it is recognised that it is necessary to continue to concentrate on ensuring the European Union we thought we knew we had in recent times is still being pursued as an objective and whether we can look forward to some progress being made in that regard?

My next point concerns the situation in Africa. I do not know whether we are achieving any progress in a series of wars which have resulted in hardship, genocide and starvation. I refer, in particular, to the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the extent to which it seems to have total disregard for opinion worldwide. Global opinion does not count. We hear about young women being captured and imprisoned and it seems no action can deter this activity, which is an outrage in the modern world and a global community.