Results 38,561-38,580 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Humanitarian Crisis Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Department of Foreign Affairs (6 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: No, we are not. However, I do not believe we should see this as a pulling up the drawbridge issue, that we are okay so let us press ahead-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Humanitarian Crisis Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Department of Foreign Affairs (6 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: As it happens, we are not as exposed. Some countries would say it is well for Ireland because it can push for a seven-sanctions package that includes gas because Ireland is not reliant on gas for heating systems through the winter and does not have the type of climate those countries have. However, consider Poland, which is advocating for it. It is not sourcing Russian gas any longer and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Humanitarian Crisis Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Department of Foreign Affairs (6 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy. I know she has to go but I will try to answer her questions. The first thing to say is there has already been a significant level of support for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia from the EU in relation to reforms and institutional support. I think that will continue as they journey towards, in Georgia's case, candidate status in future and then on, we hope, to full...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Humanitarian Crisis Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Department of Foreign Affairs (6 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I can keep talking if you want me to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Humanitarian Crisis Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Department of Foreign Affairs (6 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: Taking Lebanon, for example, it imports the vast majority of its food. A huge proportion of that would normally have come from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Likewise, in Egypt. I stand to be corrected here, but, from memory, the UN World Food Programme would have sourced close to 60% of its wheat, which is a big part of the food stocks that is supplies, from Ukraine and Belarus. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Humanitarian Crisis Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Department of Foreign Affairs (6 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I take the point regarding some of the miscalculations from a military perspective at the start. I am sure they will be analysed by military experts at different stages. The expectation from many, including Russia clearly, was that Ukrainian cities would effectively fall one after the other - that there would be some initial resistance, but the scale of the Russian military would result in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I will have to leave the meeting before 5 p.m. because I am due to speak in the Dáil on the motion of confidence that has been tabled.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am due to speak in the Dáil at 5.07 p.m., so I will need to leave the meeting at 5 p.m.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I appreciate that. I thank the Chairman and members for the invitation to appear before the committee to discuss Ireland’s engagement at the UN Security Council and the Foreign Affairs Council since my last update in November. I also wish to update the committee on the development of the Government’s response to the war in Ukraine since my most recent update, which I gave in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I am in the committee's hands.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I thank Deputy Gannon. His proposal seems helpful. Otherwise, I could pick and choose my answers, which would not do at all, obviously. I thank Deputies Brady and Stanton for their recognition of the quality of our UN team in New York. Trust me: they are phenomenal. As to what they have done over the past four days, I was there on Friday and we thought we would get an agreement on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: Yes, that is true and this adds to that. We have multi-annual funding programmes with the World Food Programme. Interestingly, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine put in place a three-year rolling multi-annual funding programme with the World Food Programme which I think is a really good example of how most countries should do it. Food security, nutrition and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: What does the Deputy mean?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: We will be publishing the document tomorrow after we launch it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: What reforms is the Deputy talking about?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: In what section of my statement is the reference contained? To what reforms is the Deputy referring?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is right about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I look forward to being back here, as well as in the Dáil and the Seanad, to discuss the defence decisions taken today. There will be very interesting debate on the detail of it. I can understand the disappointment in Georgia. I spoke to the Georgian ambassador here as recently as yesterday. I hosted a lunch for all the ambassadors yesterday after the national day of commemoration....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: Yes. It becomes a particular problem in the Defence Forces if disproportionate numbers of people in specialist areas are lost through headhunting. That has a cascade effect on other essential functions. That is why we are looking specifically at specialist areas. We are looking at the role of the Reserve and we are looking at civilianisation to fill some of those specialist roles, where...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and UN Security Council: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (12 Jul 2022)

Simon Coveney: I would have to have the recommendation in front of me, which I do not. I will not comment on something that I do not have in front of me. Mary Robinson is heading up a body that we agreed to set up to look at the future of the Council of Europe and what it can do in the changed political environment on the Continent. There are 46 countries in the Council of Europe. Russia was expelled...