Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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86. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Myanmar was discussed at the December 2019 EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. [52984/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Myanmar was not on the agenda at the most recent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which took place on 9 December.

However, this issue remains very prominent at EU level. Ireland and our EU partners remain deeply concerned over the findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (IIFFM), and other special mandate holders regarding gross human rights violations committed by the Myanmar Military Forces (Tatmadaw), many of which amount to the gravest crimes under international law.

I am also aware that on 11 November 2019, The Gambia submitted an application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging breaches of the Genocide Convention by Myanmar. Officials in my Department, including in the Irish Embassy in The Hague, are monitoring this case closely.  

Ireland will continue to work with our EU and other international partners to press for a long-term sustainable resolution to the Rohingya crisis that will provide a pathway for refugees to safely return and to urge Myanmar to hold to account those responsible for serious criminal acts.