Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

97. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current position of his Department on neutrality; and the definition of same by his Department. [13306/22]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

133. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the commitment by his Department to the current position of the State on neutrality. [13307/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 133 together.

As practised by successive Irish governments, Ireland’s policy of military neutrality means that the state does not participate in military alliances or in common or mutual defence arrangements. Successive governments have exercised their executive power to maintain a consistent policy in this area.

A policy of neutrality is to be distinguished from the legal status of neutrality during an international armed conflict. The law on neutrality evolved in the 19^thcentury but has been modified in important respects by developments in international law since that time, not least the legal prohibition in 1945 on the use of force, and the primary role of the UN Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, as conferred on it by the UN Charter. Our neutrality has never meant failing to distinguish between aggressors and the victims of aggression, and to do otherwise would be neglecting our commitment to international law.

Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality has not been one of isolationism. It informs our active approach towards peace support operations and crisis management, our contributions to conflict resolution and peacebuilding, our work for human rights and development, and our efforts to promote disarmament and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.