Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again express my appreciation for the contributions of Members and their concerns about the situation in Catalonia. I reassure them that what is happening in Spain is also of great interest to the Government. Ireland enjoys an excellent relationship with Spain and has a great rapport with its people, including the thousands of Spanish schoolchildren who visit Ireland every year and in meeting Spanish tourists and business people and our contacts at political and governmental level. We will continue to work constructively with the Spanish Government to build bilateral and trade relations and pursue our common goals at EU and international level. In order to better understand our EU partner, we are monitoring developments in the country closely and will pay particular attention to any potential impact on Irish citizens. My Department is following developments closely and responding to the concerns of Irish citizens. Earlier this afternoon the Taoiseach spoke about the developments in Catalonia on Sunday. The Deputies are very much aware of what he said. We all were horrified by the violent incidents that we saw which involved state actors and unarmed and non-threatening civilians.

We feel, not least from our own experiences, that such actions are counterproductive and that political progress needs to be made through dialogue. The Governments supports a resolution to the current situation which is based upon democracy and the rule of law. I want to reiterate the Government's position that this must be determined by Spain and its own people, based on the rule of law and through that country's own institutions. It is through such democratic processes that all voices can be heard and a way forward can be found. None of us here today wants to see further violence or injuries such as those seen last Sunday. I welcome the fact that demonstrations that have taken place since then have been allowed to take place in a peaceful manner.

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