Byrne to chair UN Security Council meeting in New York this afternoon
European Affairs Minister also visited Latvia and Estonia
The Minister for European Affairs and TD for Meath East, Thomas Byrne, will this afternoon chair a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. The meeting is Ireland's third, and final, high level meeting of its presidency of the Council.
The topic for today's meeting is the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Treaty Ban - known as the CTBT. This event will mark the 25th anniversary of the CTBT and is an opportunity to underline the importance of the CTBT as part of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are cornerstones of Irish foreign policy, and issues on which we have credibility, Mr Byrne stated. The origins of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) are closely connected with Ireland. In 1958, led by then External Affairs Minister Frank Aiken, Ireland introduced the first of what became known as the ''Irish Resolutions'' at the UN which eventually led to the NPT. In recognition of this pioneering role, Ireland was the first country invited to sign the NPT in 1968, and it entered into force in 1970. The NPT has 191 States Parties.
The meeting of the Security Council will be streamed live at the following link (at 3pm Irish time) - https://media.un.org/en/search/categories/meetings-events/security-council
Minister Byrne also recently travelled to Latvia and Estonia to mark the thirtieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Baltic States following the re-establishment of their independence in 1991.
“Ireland is home to one of the largest expatriate Latvian communities: at the time of the 2016 Census there were almost 20,000 Latvians living in Ireland. This figure made Latvian the fifth largest nationality living here," he stated.
"A large proportion of the Latvian population in Ireland live around Dundalk and Navan. The Latvian community has integrated very well into County Meath and they play valuable role in the local economy. I was pleased to be able to discuss the Meath experience of integration with my Latvian ministerial colleagues.
"Latvian is now a subject on the Leaving Certificate curriculum. The introduction of Latvian as a subject recognises the importance of this community to Ireland. It also helps to ensure the Latvian diaspora can retain a connection with home: something we, as Irish people, recognise with our connection to our own national language.''
The Minister’s programme includes a wide range of engagements in both Riga and Tallinn.
Latvia
The visit began in Riga, where Minister Byrne met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs to discuss a range of topics, including the bilateral relationship and EU and international issues. He also met the Latvian Interior Minister, Marija Golubeva, to discuss recent developments in the Baltic region including the hostile actions of the Belarusian Government in facilitating illegal migration into their Baltic neighbours. Deputy Byrne spoke at the prestigious Riga Graduate School of Law on the subject of 'Our Future in Europe: 30 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Ireland and the Republic of Latvia'.
He also met with the Chair of the European Affairs Committee and the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the Group for promoting cooperation with the Oireachtas. The Minister also visited Riga’s LGBT House and the Museum of the 1991 Barricades, which commemorates the events leading up to Latvia’s independence from the Soviet Union.
Estonia
In the Estonian capital Tallinn, Minister Byrne met with Märt Volmer, Estonia’s Undersecretary for European Affairs to discuss issues on the EU agenda.
He visited the Embassy of Ireland to officially open the Embassy’s new Chancery and also visited the Estonian Parliament for a meeting with its European Union Affairs Committee.