Written answers

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Election Monitoring Missions

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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246. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade travelled to Azerbaijan in October 2013 to observe the elections there; the name of the person; the capacity in which they travelled; if the person travelled as part of another organisation; if so, the name of the organisation and the reason therefor; if the person subsequently submitted a report on this election; if not, the reason therefor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50453/17]

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights.The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of election observers for such missions. We aim to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level on international observation missions for elections and constitutional referendums. Irish observers participate primarily in missions organised by the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Following a request from the OSCE in 2013 to nominate election observers in respect of the Azerbaijan Presidential Elections, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade circulated the call to members of the Election Roster. Following receipt and consideration of applications, the Department nominated two Long Term Observers and eight Short Term Observers to observe these Elections. These observers travelled in their capacity as members of the election observation roster and while in country operated as part of the OSCE ODIHR election observation mission, as is normal practice for these missions.

None of these ten nominated observers were members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2013.

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