Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by agreeing with much of what Deputy Smith said, but I will elaborate on some points. We all agree that this is a challenging time for international security and international trade. The adjective "turbulence" or the phrase "turbulent times" have been used quite a lot in the media over the last week. I would say it is far more worrying than just turbulence. The world is on fire. We have heard that analogy used in terms of the climate challenge we already have, but I would use it in terms of international relations as well. Every morning when I wake up, I check my Twitter page to see what the news of the week is going to be because the world is literally being run on Twitter at the moment.

We have an indication of where the new cycle is going because that is how turbulent and erratic the new world order is.

I will start by speaking about Ukraine. It is universally agreed in the House that a strong and secure Ukraine is vital to the interests of Ireland and EU. We have seen how open our economy is and how susceptible it is to issues relating to energy in particular. We saw that most notably during Covid and following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To be fair to our Taoiseach and Tánaiste, they have advanced and have always spoken about fast-tracking Ukrainian membership of the European Union. That is something we have to continue to push for at EU level and at high-profile meetings.

I welcome the establishment of the new ministerial council on national security. I understand it is to meet at least three or four times each year to co-ordinate our response to future threats and deal with maters relating to our national security. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste should be represented at that national security council but so too should the Garda, the Army and the Defence Forces in general. That will be a fundamental arm of the State going forward.

I wish to comment on the unpredictability relating to and the running of international politics by Twitter. It is that unpredictability from which much of the turbulence we are experiencing is stemming. Can anybody in this Chamber honestly say that a couple of years ago we would have envisaged the United States trying to claim Canada as the 51st state or attempting to buy Greenland? This stuff is seriously concerning. It fuels the risk that is out there. It fuels the risk to markets, frightens investors and costs jobs. Tweets and words cost jobs and investment. The world as we knew it has changed. These real diplomatic threats and the distorting of the international order, as it was or is, need to be challenged.

What is happening in respect of the International Criminal Court is just another example of the challenge to the international order. Again, who here would have thought that sanctions would have been instigated against members of the International Criminal Court by the leader of the free world? This stuff is seriously concerning. I represent a constituency in Cork where thousands of jobs have been created by Apple, Pfizer and so on, and where there is a great deal of American investment. I know that what I am saying sounds repetitive, but the turbulence needs to be challenged.

The rise of state and non-state actors is something that is of great concern to me. This is linked to the whole area of cybersecurity. The Lazarus group, which is affiliated to North Korea, is undermining world financial markets and is hacking people's technology. We have Russian interference in neighbouring countries' elections. It is not just neighbouring countries, however. I suspect that Russia has been involved in quite a lot of election interference over the past number of years. Again, all of this is linked to cybersecurity. It is something that the Taoiseach takes very seriously. The beefing up of our Defence Forces and the prioritisation of resources in that regard needs to be fundamentally advanced.

I will end by saying a brief word about the occupied territories Bill. I know the Bill is contentious, but it is not contentious for me. We received the Attorney General's advice. The Government needs to get on with the business of progressing the occupied territories Bill. In that context, we need to be cognisant of the advice we have been given by the Attorney General and of any other European legislation. We need to get on with advancing the Bill because the pictures and the images we are seeing every day in the Middle East are unacceptable. I acknowledge that the Government has done a great deal to progress the Palestinian cause. The fundamental solution to that conflict will be a two-state solution. We owe more to humanity. As a people, we need to do more than just engaging in moral grandstanding. We need to get on with enacting the legislation as soon as possible.

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