Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in the challenging time we have ahead of us. The right person is in the position to handle those challenging and difficult negotiations. In his opening statement, the Minister of State spoke about the conflict between Israel and Iran. We have to be conscious that we have servants of the State working in those areas, representing us and doing their best to bring about peace using their diplomatic skills. Will the Minister of State tell us about the situation for Irish diplomats based in Tehran, Tel Aviv and Ramallah? What advice would he give Irish citizens living in those territories and those who may wish to travel there? The Minister of State spoke about European democracy shield. It is important because, when Ireland had the Presidency of the Council of Europe, a big concern for the Council and one of the main reasons we had the fourth summit in Reykjavik was the backsliding of democracy. It would be interesting to know more about European democracy shield to see how we can work together to ensure the true values of democracy are alive and well in the EU. The Minister of State also spoke about facing the additional 10% US tariffs alongside threats of other tariffs on pharma. Will he provide clarity on where negotiations are at?