New Foreign Affairs Minister to attend first Brussels meeting

Ottoline Spearman

The new Minister for Foreign Affairs will travel to Brussels on Thursday to attend a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on her first official trip in the role.

Helen McEntee will meet with fellow Foreign Ministers to discuss issues including Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the Sahel and Sudan. 

Speaking ahead of the meeting, she condemned Russia’s drone and missile attacks on cities across Ukraine, saying it is a critical moment for European security.

"I will be taking the opportunity to reiterate Ireland’s steadfast solidarity and support for Ukraine, our support for further sanctions on Russia, as well as our strong support for Ukraine’s EU accession,” she said.

On the situation in the Middle East, Ms McEntee said the immediate priority is to ensure humanitarian aid gets into and throughout Gaza.

She also said: "We must not lose sight of the disturbing situation in the West Bank, where Israeli military operations and settlement expansion are continuing.

"I will restate our readiness to play our part in working towards a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians through the implementation of the two-State solution.”

On Sudan, she said that urgent action is needed to ensure unhindered humanitarian access across the country.