Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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185. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he has taken since taking office to address the ongoing persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Egypt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43548/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I participated in the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council in August and October which agreed conclusions condemning atrocities by terrorist groups targeting religious minorities in both Syria and Iraq. The violence and terror which is being perpetrated by extremists such as ISIS on all Iraqi and Syrian citizens is utterly reprehensible, including as it does the deliberate targeting of men, women and children simply on account of their religious and ethnic background. In my address to the General Assembly of the UN in September, I called for urgent international action to confront threats and violence against ancient Christian minorities throughout the Middle East and an end to the targeting of groups based on ethnicity and religion.

On the broader international plane, Ireland has worked at UN and EU level to promote resolutions and actions upholding the principle of freedom of religious belief, notably during our 2013 EU Presidency, and now as a current member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2013-2015 term. Freedom of religion or belief is a major priority for Ireland as a Council member and we have played a central role in the negotiation of resolutions on this issue. Ireland attaches great importance to combating all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief and incitement to religious hatred.