merrion street

Events in Belarus since the illegitimate Presidential election remain of deep and immediate concern. During the large-scale protests on Sunday, the Belarusian people once again voiced in a peaceful and powerful manner their clear and simple wish for free and fair elections.

This afternoon the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin T.D., spoke by phone with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. He expressed Ireland’s solidarity with her and with the people of Belarus in their pursuit of democracy and human rights.

To that end, Ireland is working closely with our international partners to ensure that the democratic will of the people and their human rights are fully respected.

As Minister for European Affairs, I will be supporting the quickest implementation of the actions announced by the European Union at the weekend. In particular, the re-programming of €53m in Eastern Partnership funds. This will redirect EU assistance directly to civil society and vulnerable groups, including to those who have suffered most at the hands of this repression.

Ireland will continue to act in support for the Belarusian people and we will impose sanctions on those responsible for the falsification of election results and the unacceptable use of violence and intimidation.”