Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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116. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider calling in the Russian Ambassador to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria and eastern Ghouta; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11337/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is quite clear that Russia’s support for the Assad regime has prolonged the suffering of the Syrian people. Russia has also repeatedly vetoed UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, which has seriously undermined the protection of Syrian civilians. Ireland’s has communicated its concerns directly to the Russian authorities on numerous occasions. In October 2017, I relayed Ireland’s strong views directly to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov. I also called on Russia to ensure civilians are protected, and to exert its influence on other parties to the conflict to do the same These messages have also been relayed to the Russian Ambassador on numerous occasions at Ministerial and official level. My Department officials and I will continue to raise our concerns about the ongoing crisis in Syria with the Russian authorities in our interactions with them.