The Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, will travel today to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference.
During the Conference, the Tánaiste will meet with a range of his counterparts from Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia, as well as from UN agencies and international companies, to discuss global responses to major foreign and security policy issues.
While in Munich, the Tánaiste is expected to take part in a number of bilateral meetings, including with UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Chinese Foreign Policy Director, Wang Yi, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Ahead of travelling to the conference, the Tánaiste said:
“Russia’s barbaric and immoral attack on Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of global unity and standing up for the rules-based international order which underpins our peace and security.
“Ireland sought to play a particularly active and constructive role in upholding this multilateralism, and to resolving conflict, during our term on the UN Security Council over the last two years.
“The Munich Security Conference is an excellent opportunity to meet a wide range of global leaders, and to continue dialogue on the important issues facing the world.
“This meeting comes at a critical juncture, almost one year since Russia launched its latest invasion of Ukraine. It represents an opportunity for partners to consider how best we can continue to protect European and global security, to address urgent global challenges including climate change and global food security, and to champion the core values and principles of the UN Charter.”
ENDS
Press Office
17 February 2023
Notes to Editor
- The Munich Security Conference brings together more than 450 senior decision-makers and influential thinkers, including heads of state, ministers and figures from business, media, academia, and civil society to debate pressing issues of international security policy.
- The 59th Munich Security Conference is running from February 17 to 19, 2023, at its usual venue in Munich, the Hotel Bayerischer Hof.
- During the Munich Security Conference, a large number of official bilateral and multilateral meetings take place in addition to the Conference’s own events.
- Amongst the topics to be discussed in the main programme are global challenges such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy security, supply chains and north-south cooperation, as well as regional challenges such as fostering stability in the Sahel, advancing joint climate action, and the situation in some of the world’s most dire conflict zones.