Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 May 2023
134. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his and his Department’s recent engagements with the Belarusian government, including with embassy officials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22457/23]
View answerI have not met with Belarusian government representatives since taking up the role of Minister for Foreign Affairs. Belarus is accredited to Ireland through its Embassy in London. Ireland does not operate an Embassy in Minsk. Ireland’s Embassy in Vilnius covers Belarus, but since 2020 no Irish Ambassador has been accredited to Minsk. There have been no meetings between the Embassy and the Belarus Government since the fraudulent elections of 2020.
Ireland, along with our EU partners has consistently condemned the actions of the regime since the fraudulent 2020 Presidential election and the brutal crackdown that followed, and have supported extensive EU sanctions against the Lukashenko regime.
We continue to speak out at the EU and multilateral levels to condemn and hold the regime to account. At the Human Rights Council in March, Ireland made national statements and joined EU statements on the situation in Belarus, and supported the extension of the mandate of the High Commissioner to continue to investigate the situation for one year.
The Government continues to support independent Belarusian civil society and media organisations to hold the regime to account, and has engaged with the leaders of the democratic movement who tirelessly advocate for the human rights of the Belarusian people, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Ms Tsikhanouskaya recently visited Ireland in May 2023, during which I held a productive meeting with her. She also met with the Taoiseach, the President, and Oireachtas members amongst others. This was the second time that both the Taoiseach and I met with Ms Tsikhanouskaya this year, and we will continue our engagement with the democratic movement.
