Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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111. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the Government will expel Russian diplomats following the nerve agent attack in the United Kingdom; the information the Government has received relating to the incident; and if the Government expects a response in kind from the Russian Government to action taken. [14461/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Following on from extensive briefings by the United Kingdom at senior official level and to EU Foreign Ministers, UK Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the European Council last Thursday. She made a compelling case in support of her government’s assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with a military-grade nerve agent, and that there is no plausible alternative explanation.Having listened to the Prime Minister, and to the views of other Member States in a position to support her account, EU leaders unanimously agreed with the United Kingdom Government’s assessment. They affirmed that all EU Member States stand in unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security.

The use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic chemicals as weapons, by anyone, anywhere, is particularly shocking and abhorrent. The attack in Salisbury was not just an attack against the United Kingdom, but an affront to the international rules-based system on which we all depend for our security and wellbeing.

In light of the European Council Conclusions, and following an assessment conducted by the security services and relevant Departments, I briefed the Government yesterday on my intended course of action. At my request the Secretary General of my Department subsequently met the Russian Ambassador and informed him that the accreditation of a member of his staff with diplomatic status is to be terminated, in line with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The individual in question is required to leave the jurisdiction.

I want to make clear that there would be absolutely no justification for the expulsion of Irish diplomats from Russia. Our staff do not engage in activities which are incompatible with their diplomatic status. Nor has Ireland acted improperly.