Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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132. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the correspondence or discussions he has had with representatives of the Republic of Lithuania in relation to that country’s formal withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12479/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is strongly committed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. We should take pride in the fact that the text of the Convention was agreed at a diplomatic conference chaired by Ireland in Dublin in 2008. Ireland will continue to work toward the full universalisation and implementation of the Convention.

Ireland's consistent and principled view is that disarmament conventions are not for peace time only and it matters how wars are fought. Cluster munitions are by their nature indiscriminate and imprecise, continue to kill and maim long after conflict is over, and should not be used in any circumstances.

Ireland is fully aware of the serious security challenges created by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and the altered security environment in Europe that affects us all. We are also conscious of the particular concerns felt by States that neighbour the Russian Federation, including Lithuania.

Lithuania took a sovereign decision to leave the Convention just over 6 months ago. This followed domestic considerations, national military advice and a supermajority vote of the national parliament. That decision took effect on the 6th of March this year.

My Department has communicated Ireland's concerns, alongside other representatives of States Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to our Lithuanian partners, including through our Embassy in Vilnius. The matter was also raised by then Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, during her visit to Vilnius in September 2024.

Ireland is committed to upholding disarmament regimes, and will continue to be a vocal advocate for the Convention on Cluster Munitions.