Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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662. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised abuses of human rights in Morocco in the context of the opening of an Embassy in Morocco including the ongoing annexation of Western Sahara, the rights of the LGBTQ community and the Berber people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31191/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department has ongoing contact with Morocco on the range of issues which are of interest to both countries, including human rights. We have an active engagement through our respective Embassies and the opening of an Irish Embassy in Rabat this year will allow us to deepen our bilateral engagement and dialogue with Morocco.

I had a virtual meeting with H.E. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, in April 2021. During that meeting, we had a frank and useful exchange on a range of political, trade and economic issues, including human rights and the opening of our new Embassy in Rabat.

Respect for human rights is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy and we consistently seek to discuss human rights issues through the most appropriate and effective channels, including at a bilateral and EU level, and through the United Nations Universal Periodic Review mechanism.

The rights of LGBTI+ persons are a human rights priority for Ireland and we continue to support initiatives condemning violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and promoting the rights of LGBTI+ individuals in international fora. At Morocco’s most recent Universal Periodic Review in 2017, Ireland made a recommendation on addressing the stigmatisation lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

On Western Sahara, Ireland’s longstanding position is one of full support for MINURSO, the UN-led process and the Secretary General’s efforts to bring about a definitive and mutually acceptable political settlement on this issue. We support the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, but we do not have a view on the outcome of that decision – be it independence, integration, autonomy, or some other solution – so long as it is decided in a genuine exercise of self-determination. Ireland's position in this respect has been clearly set out at the UN Security Council at its consultations on 21 April 2021.