Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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18. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his attendance at the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council last month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4229/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I attended my first meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on 27 January (FAC). Ahead of the FAC, I had a telephone conversation with the EU High Representative and Vice President of the Commission, Kaja Kallas, on 24 January.

On the evening of 26 January, I attended an EU dinner with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition, where I thanked her again for her tireless advocacy in support of democracy in Belarus, and assured her of Ireland and the EU's continued support.

The FAC was a welcome opportunity to engage with my colleagues on a range of important issues, and to emphasise Ireland's continued support for Ukraine and for peace in the Middle East. The agenda focused on Russian aggression against Ukraine, cyber and hybrid threats against the EU, EU- US relations, recent developments in the Middle East, and Georgia and Moldova.

On Ukraine, we received an update from Foreign Minister Sybiha on Ukraine’s priorities and needs. The ensuing discussion focused on how to strengthen the EU’s military support for Ukraine, and sanctions against Russia.

We discussed transatlantic relations following the inauguration of President Trump, the need for close engagement with the US administration on a wide range of issues and the importance of EU unity.

The discussion on the Middle East focused on the situation in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December, support for the new government and maintenance of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, and the need for a surge in humanitarian access in Gaza following the welcome agreement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal and the first release of hostages held in captivity by Hamas. We also discussed developments in Georgia and in Moldova.

While at the FAC, I had the opportunity to have bilateral meetings with a number of my counterparts across the EU. These included the Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavský, the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Kestutis Budrys, and the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares. I also met with Commissioner Šefcovic, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security.