Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Chairman knows how fast those of us with Cork accents speak. I welcome the witnesses. I had the privilege and honour of visiting Georgia a number of months ago and I saw first-hand the situation at the border. I touch on the similarity between Ireland and Georgia. The best example is that a lot of Irish fans went to Georgia for the recent soccer match who would not have known about the country. They took back the warmth and friendliness of the people. They clicked with them. When they came back, they actually promoted Georgia, which is the Irish way. There has been a similarity in the histories of Ireland and Georgia. That people can understand and relate to those histories ties them in very quickly.

We pride ourselves on peacekeeping and being a peaceful nation and we pride ourselves on being extremely proactive in that regard. The witnesses mentioned that at times someone has to take a leadership role. It took a very long time in this country. History was not kind to us and it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a question of keeping tipping at it, being proactive, looking for leadership, gaining that and going with it. Other nations will go into a village, make a lot of noise, set up a perimeter and try to police people. The Irish way was that the little jeep pulled up outside the village and the soldiers kicked a football into the square. It encouraged people to come out and engage. It is an issue one could look at as an example of how to break down barriers.

As a nation, I see the strength and forward planning of Georgia. I wish the country the very best of luck. As the country which is furthest west in Europe, if there was political will for us to pull Georgia, as the furthest east, into the European Union, it would benefit us all. While we can sometimes be critical of Europe and while there are a few things still to be learned there, I would love to welcome Georgia into that family. The reception I got in Georgia was second to none and the witnesses should be very proud of that.