Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I do not deny in any way, shape or form the disgust of the Department and the Minister at what is happening in Syria. I do not question their commitment to this issue. I merely put it to the Minister that I find it strange and confusing that he has not spoken directly to the Russian Government's representative in this country. He mentioned that he has spoken to everyone else on this issue, including the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon. The Russian embassy is down the road in Rathgar. I would have thought that the Minister would have made it his business to convey personally the Irish Government's concerns to the ambassador. I am not engaging in semantics when I put the very clear statement we heard on 4 October last, and what it led us to believe, to the Minister again. I have the transcript and I will read what it says again. The Taoiseach told the Dáil that "the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade called in the Russian ambassador last Tuesday". In fact, the Minister did not meet the ambassador. The Taoiseach said that the Minister "left him in no uncertain terms", but how can that be the case when he did not meet him? I ask again: when has the Minister met the Russian ambassador?

I am aware that Russia is not the only party to the problems in Syria. I accept that US intervention in that region has also been detrimental. No country has more influence than Russia over the Syrian Government and the Assad regime. It is not semantics to say it is inexplicable that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has not sat down to meet the Russian ambassador on this issue. My clear view is that the Minister should be doing his job. I asked the Minister to confirm that Ireland will vote against Russia's election to the UN Human Rights Council, but he did not answer that question. I appreciate that the Minister covered a great deal of ground in his statement here today and that he has a lot on his plate. Our job is to put forward our views on issues. I agree with the Minister's stance on many other issues and I applaud the work he is doing, but my job is to let him know when I do not agree with him. I would expect the Minister to do likewise.

I also asked the Minister about the €20.9 million that this country has given towards the third country arrangement between the EU and Turkey. The committee has written to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm that all of that money is being spent exclusively on humanitarian aid. I am not producing evidence in this regard and I did not suggest that I would. I am asking the Minister to confirm that this is the case. If it is, things are absolutely fine. I reiterate that from the perspective of my party and my own perspective as Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs and trade, these third party arrangements undermine the basic rights that refugees and asylum seekers deserve under international law. They do not represent the way forward we should be taking. I thank the Minister for his comprehensive and detailed statement.

I will conclude by asking about Brexit matters. I welcome the opportunity to attend the forum on 2 November. I would like to hear the Government's view on the fact that the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has not seen fit to afford the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, a permanent seat at the Cabinet sub-committee on Brexit in London. While I appreciate that this is a decision of a sovereign Government, I suggest it speaks volumes about the views of the Prime Minister and the London Government about their priorities with regard to Northern Ireland. I welcome the Minister's engagement in the North of Ireland and his visit to Derry to meet stakeholders.

I, too, have spent time in the North over the past few months. The Government should approach Brexit from a position of strength. Ireland is a big market for Britain and we have a €10 billion trade deficit with Britain. In terms of our market, Britain doing business with us is as important, if not more important, than our dealings and business relationship with Britain. We should be careful that we are not used by the British to forward their position with our European partners.