Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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356. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his counterparts he has spoken to since his appointment as Minister for Defence, in tabular form. [8357/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since my appointment as Minister for Defence, I have corresponded with a number of my Defence counterparts and I look forward to engaging with them in-person, both bilaterally and in the format of the Foreign Affairs Council in Defence Ministers format.

In early March, I will attend an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Stockholm, which will be an opportunity to engage with colleagues, both bilaterally and collectively, on a range of important issues relating to security and defence policy in Europe, especially coming so soon after the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While the agenda for the March informal has not yet been confirmed, it seems safe to assume that the discussions will be dominated by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the international community's response, particularly that of the European Union.

One could also imagine that such issues as the utilisation of the European Peace Facility, the European Union Military Assistance Mission Ukraine (EUMAM) and the progress made to date on the implementation of the Strategic Compass will also be on the Ministers' agenda. Indeed, a number of these issues featured on the agenda of EU Defence Policy Directors which took place in Stockholm recently.

In addition to the informal meeting in March, EU Defence Ministers can ordinarily be expected to meet on four occasions annually - two informal meetings hosted by the respective presidencies and two meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council in Defence Ministers' format in Brussels, one in each half of the year.

I also intend to take such opportunities as I can to meet my defence colleagues bilaterally, whether in the course of bilateral visits or in the margins of ministerial meetings. Ireland is determined to continue playing a full part in the evolution of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy and, given particular interests and concerns we have, it is important that Ireland's position is well understood and I regard bilateral engagements as a key element in ensuring that this is the case.