Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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736. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of discussions at recent EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings regarding the persecution of Christians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1762/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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737. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of discussions at recent EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings regarding the persecution of religious minorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1763/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 736 and 737 together.

The persecutions of religious minorities, including Christians, while not appearing as a stand-alone item for discussion at recent Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings, is regularly reviewed as a critical dimension of developments on the ground in many regional crises.

In recent months, discussion in this area has been dominated by the ongoing crises in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood, notably in Syria, Iraq and Egypt. As the Deputy will be aware, the Middle East is home to the some of the world’s most ancient Christian denominations. However, the violence and instability of recent years across the region has had a negative impact on many minority groups in the region, including Christians, with many of them reported to have left the region.

The European Union supports the protection of fundamental rights for all communities across the wider Middle East and throughout the world. This is reflected in the relevant Council Conclusions from FAC meetings where the EU has consistently voiced its unequivocal concern for the plight of vulnerable groups, including religious minorities, being targeted by extremists, and has strongly condemned acts of violence targeted towards religious and other minorities.

From Ireland’s perspective, I can assure the Deputy that we attach great importance to the fundamental rights of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. However, in situations of open conflict neither we nor the EU have any means to offer direct physical protection to populations located in combat zones. Whenever possible, we raise the issue of the safety of Christians and other religious minorities with the national governments through the appropriate bilateral and multilateral channels and consistently press for effective action to counter the persecution of all minority groups. I highlighted the issue when I addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on 29 September 2014. I also raised it during my meeting with UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

In cases such as Syria and Iraq, where the collapse of national government authority across large areas has been a key factor leading to the problem, the restoration of control by broadly accepted authorities is a critical prerequisite for safeguarding minority communities.