Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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349. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to report on his most recent Foreign Affairs Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15586/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I attended the most recent Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels on 23 May where migration, the threat posed by ISIL/Da’esh, and the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy were on the agenda. The FAC meeting was preceded by a ministerial meeting on the Eastern Partnership.

The Council had a wide-ranging discussion on the external aspects of migration. The High Representative, Federica Mogherini (HRVP), highlighted the work that has been accomplished with the G5 Sahel Group (comprising Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger); the HRVP also mentioned that €750m has been approved for security projects under the Valetta trust fund, with another funding round in June which will focus on further security projects. Speaking about the considerable role that Turkey is playing in addressing the migrant crisis, I also reiterated Ireland’s concerns in respect of the rule of law, human rights and freedom of the media in Turkey and the need to hold Turkey to account to the core European values inherent in the accession process.

Ministers noted the easing of migratory pressures in recent months, and underlined the need for short, medium and long term solutions; for contingency planning and for a focus on legal economic migration. I highlighted Ireland’s ongoing role in providing humanitarian assistance through our bilateral arrangement with Italy. Four Irish vessels have deployed to the Mediterranean since May 2015, most recently the L.E. Róisín. To date they have rescued 9,374 people. I also emphasised that it is only through tackling the root causes of migration- political instability, inequality, and poverty in countries of origin- that the EU can hope to resolve this global phenomenon.

The Council also discussed the threat posed by ISIL/Da’esh, which incorporated a discussion on the situation in Iraq, and the need for a renewed focus on the political track in Syria. Ministers underlined that the stabilisation of liberated areas is of the utmost importance in Iraq. On Syria, the necessity of continued support for UN Special Envoy De Mistura was emphasised. Ministers agreed that the regional strategy remains valid, and adopted the related Council Conclusions.

The HRVP briefed Ministers on the ongoing preparation of the new EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, which she is leading. I intervened to highlight key issues of importance for Ireland, including the need for the strategy to address the root causes of instability, such as repression and denial of basic human rights; poor governance and corruption; poverty and underdevelopment.I emphasised that the strategy should be firmly grounded in the Treaties and should aim to mobilise all aspects of the EU’s external action in pursuit of coherent policy objectives. The HRVP informed Ministers that it is expected that the strategy will be presented to the European Council in June.

The Eastern Partnership meeting brought together EU Foreign Ministers with the Foreign Ministers of the six Eastern Partnership countries. The Ministerial meeting took place one year after the EU reaffirmed its support for the six participating countries at the May 2015 Riga Summit and was the first Eastern Partnership ministerial since the adoption of the Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy in December 2015. The meeting was constructive and proved again that it is an effective framework for cooperation and dialogue with our Eastern neighbours. I underscored that it is important that the Eastern Partnership continues to incentivise reform and progress, and joined with many other ministers in expressing concern for recent escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. I appealed to all participants to engage actively with the OSCE Minsk Group to reach a sustainable agreement.