Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 142 together.

I attended the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which took place in Luxembourg on Monday, 21 June. The Council held a discussion on the situation in Belarus and we met the opposition leader, Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. As I said in response to an earlier question on Belarus, we decided to impose restrictive measures on 78 Belarusian individuals and eight entities. These measures will sanction those behind the brutal repression we have been witnessing in Belarus, those responsible for the forced and unlawful landing of a Ryanair flight at Minsk, and several prominent business figures who support and benefit from the Lukashenko regime. The Council agreed on sectors to be targeted by economic sanctions. We also discussed ways for the EU to maintain people-to-people contacts with ordinary Belarusians.

EU foreign ministers met the Iraqi foreign minister and discussed how the EU could support upcoming parliamentary elections there. Ministers decided to deploy an EU election observation mission, subject to security considerations. We also discussed how the EU could support the implementation of urgently needed economic and security sector reforms in Iraq.

In a strategic discussion on the relationship between the EU and the Latin American and Caribbean region, we had an exchange on how to strengthen and increase dialogue and co-operation. We focused on how the EU could help the region overcome the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I raised the need for the EU to address in a more robust manner the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including settlement expansion, demolitions and evictions, matters that the Dáil just discussed. I encouraged the EU to step up its engagement with both parties in the context of a new Government in Israel and with a view to encouraging the rescheduling of elections across Palestine.

I also raised my deep concern regarding the conflict in Tigray and the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation there. The Council will hold a full discussion on the situation in Ethiopia in July and I plan to visit Ethiopia next month.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The Council heard updates from the High Representative on the talks in Vienna on the joint comprehensive plan of action regarding Iran, and on his recent visit to Lebanon. The Council also exchanged views on Mali, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the EU-Turkey and EU-Russia relationship.

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