Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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35. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the further discussions he has had with his counterparts in respect of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. [33529/16]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The continuing conflict in Syria has generated the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world today. Minister Flanagan and I have focused on the crisis in a range of discussions in recent months at EU level, at the UN, and with our civil society partners.

The Government is strongly committed to responding to the extraordinary humanitarian needs of the Syrian people. Since 2012, Ireland has provided more than €62 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region. This is Ireland’s largest response to any humanitarian crisis ever.

The crisis in Syria is a regular item on the agenda for the monthly meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. On 17 October Minister Flanagan and his colleagues held an extensive discussion with the UN Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and underlined continuing strong support for his work. The crisis was discussed again at the meeting of the Council on 14 November.

When he visited Dublin in September, the European Commissioner with responsibility for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, briefed us on the EU’s Humanitarian Initiative for Aleppo.

This week, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer visited Dublin and met with President Higgins, Minister Flanagan and myself, and with members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence. President Maurer provided an update on his organisation’s critical humanitarian work in Syria, which is strongly supported by Ireland.

Yesterday, I discussed Ireland’s response to the Syrian crisis with the CEOs of ten Irish development NGOs and the umbrella organisation, Dóchas. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely, and are ready to provide further assistance in support of the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people.