Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador for coming before the committee. It is H.E. Mr. Filatov's second time before us in the new Dáil and Seanad. It was great to see the ambassador speak so fondly of his diplomatic incident with the Irish fishermen. It is clear from the ambassador's demeanour today that he was taken by them, their work ethos and their commitment to their communities and to the environment. It is nice to see that. It shows what dialogue can do and how positive it can be.

In relation to the issue in Ukraine and Russia's strict adherence to the concept of indivisible security, we know that means that Russia will respect all territories and their integrity and their sovereignty. I was interested to hear the ambassador say that the idea of tens of thousands of troops being positioned and increased on the Russian Federation's borders is untrue and that they are constantly being deployed there and there has been no escalation. Has the fact that there has not been an increase recently been independently verified by any third party?

Following on from Deputy Gannon's question, initially, why did the Russian Federation choose to have the naval trials in Irish waters?

I also asks the ambassador to comment again on the issue in relation to Belarus. Obviously, we have a huge love of Belarus. As we have with Russians, we have much in common with them. We have great ties with that beautiful country and the beautiful people there and we are shocked and upset at the unlawful detentions stemming from pro-democracy protests. It is something that we are concerned about. If possible, I would like to hear more of the ambassador's thoughts on it. Gabhaim buíochas leis.