Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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1171. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on possible military action by European states in Syria; if he will oppose this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31477/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I refer to the answer, that follows, which I gave to this House on 9 July 2015. Ireland fully supports the removal of the terrorist threat posed by the ISIS group, consistent with international law. Airstrikes have been conducted against ISIS in Iraq and Syria for a number of months. It is for individual States to determine in what way they might best contribute to the concerted international effort underway to tackle the threat posed by ISIS and other fundamentalist jihadists. I understand that the states involved in military action against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria are acting at the request of the Iraqi government in the exercise of its inherent right to individual or collective self-defence pending action by the Security Council to restore international peace and security as recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and as notified by the US to the UN Secretary General on 23 September 2014.