Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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93. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he is taking in relation to retaliatory sanctions imposed by the Russian Federation on Irish interests in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15149/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has imposed the most significant sanctions in its history. EU unity on successive sanctions packages sends an important message beyond the economic effects of the sanctions.

From the beginning, it was understood that imposing sanctions on Russia would come at a cost to the EU. The impacts vary between Member States, but Russia's unconscionable actions leave us with little choice. Ireland has supported the widest possible sanctions to date, in order to put strong pressure on the Kremlin.

The effects of EU sanctions on Russia have been significant. The Kremlin has begun setting out counter-measures, including designating all EU Member States as “unfriendly countries”. Discussions are underway at EU level on how to mitigate the impacts of any retaliatory measures on Member States.

So far, EU sanctions and Russian countermeasures have had a particularly heavy impact on the aircraft leasing sector in Ireland. Regrettably, the Russian Government has announced a number of measures that serve to undermine the efforts of Irish leasing companies to recover their aircraft following the termination of leases, as required by EU sanctions. This includes certain actions in respect of aircraft registration that would be contrary to the provisions of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. Ireland has made contact with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to this end. My Department has also made a formal protest to the Russian authorities against these developments, recalling Russia’s obligations under the Chicago Convention and as an ICAO member. Working closely with the Department of Transport, my Department is also assisting leasing companies with the recovery of aircraft from third countries, where possible.