Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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221. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the aims and objectives of the German Government-backed Munich Security Conference; if he will report on his attendance at the recent meeting of this conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10628/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I attended the Munich Security Conference from 17-19 February.  It provided an excellent opportunity to meet with a range of leaders, decision-makers and policy-thinkers globally including from UN agencies, international organisations and the private sector, and to discuss a range of global foreign and security policy challenges.

The Conference aims for wide and diverse geographic and political participation, from a multitude of perspectives, and is run under the rule of “engage and interact with each other: Don't lecture or ignore one another”. This facilitates important dialogue between states with differing and influential viewpoints on global issues, and at this year’s Conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Wang Yi, State Councillor and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.

The 2023 Conference came at an important juncture, almost one year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. My participation was an opportunity to both build on the active and constructive role Ireland played during our term on the UN Security Council in upholding multilateralism and resolving conflict, and in considering how best we can continue to contribute to protecting European and global security, to addressing urgent global challenges including climate change and global food security, and to championing the core values and principles of the UN Charter.

During the Conference, I met with my Foreign and Defence Ministerial counterparts from Colombia, Jordan, Kenya, Norway, the UK, and Ukraine amongst others, in addition to the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.  I also had the chance to meet with influential figures in international and multilateral organisations, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, the NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana, and representatives of the Elders. I also met with influential figures from US politics, including the US Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and former US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.