Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. We are not going to have a discussion on this. Deputy Seán Crowe has some constructive ideas on the way we should move forward. Members should go along with that in a constructive way to see what the committee can do to work towards reconciliation and normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Maybe we can do something small on this as a committee. I thank Deputy Seán Crowe for bringing that up this morning. Are the minutes agreed? Agreed.

Before we commence the meeting, I want to welcome our new adviser from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ms Laoise Moore. She is taking over from Ms Olive Hempenstall on a temporary basis. She comes to us from a posting in Malaysia. We are delighted to have her here as a link between the Department and the committee. Both the secretariat and I insisted we have an adviser as quickly as possible. We look forward to working closely with her.

I want to give members an opportunity to talk on the tragic events in Nepal over the weekend when an earthquake devastated Kathmandu and other areas there. We have seen reports that over 5,000 people have died with over 10,000 injured. This morning I telephoned a friend of mine who is the chief executive officer of the Nepal Institute for Strategic Studies in Kathmandu to get an update on the situation there. He said there is terrible chaos there. Most people are without water and electricity and are sleeping on the streets because of the fear that many of the remaining buildings are unsafe. Along with the huge loss of life, much of the Nepalese culture has also been destroyed, such as their temples. While many supplies are coming in, the airport is still congested as people rush to leave the country. Our thoughts are with those people affected, particularly those in the higher regions which many of the emergency services have still not reached. We do not know the extent of the damage in those areas or how many deaths or injuries have occurred there. My thoughts are with them. I commend the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the Minister of State, for the allocation of €1 million towards the relief fund for Nepal. Hopefully, it can be increased as we get more information from Nepal.