Paul Bradford (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. When the ISIS media watchers take note of his answer, they will be reminded of The Skibbereen Eaglein keeping its eye on Russia. That will be the impact of the policy of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The media watchers may read about our support for capacity building and our co-sponsoring of UN resolutions and ask, "So what?" The Minister has stated ISIS poses a limited threat to the European Union, which is a fair statement of fact. Does he concede that the current campaign and the geographical advancement of ISIS into Syria bring it within a short plane journey of the Italian border? Does he concede that, as we are thinking about the possible accession of Turkey to the European Union in the medium to long term, the border of the European Union could be within a short hop of ISIS-dominated territory? What are we going to do in that regard? The Minister did not mention any engagement with the United States. Is there active engagement by the European Union with the United States and the Obama Administration to see if this threat can be taken more seriously?