Vol. 558 No. 3
104 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason the Government participated in the recent NATO summit in Prague to discuss NATO expansion; the Minister of State's brief in attending this meeting; the Government's position on NATO expansion; the role he foresees Ireland playing in an expanded NATO; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24215/02]
Ireland is not a member of NATO and did not participate in the NATO summit in Prague. Ireland does not and will not play a role in NATO. Decisions on the future expansion of NATO are a matter for the members of NATO and were taken at the NATO summit on 21 November.
The Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Roche, represented Ireland at the separate meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, EAPC, which took place in Prague on 22 November, the day after the NATO summit. The EAPC is the political framework for dialogue and consultation on issues relevant to Partnership for Peace which, following the approval of the House, Ireland joined in December 1999. Ireland is one of 27 non-NATO participants in the EAPC, which also includes other European neutral and non-aligned countries such as Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.
The EAPC meeting provided an opportunity for Ireland to continue the development of practical co-operation among EAPC participants in the peacekeeping and crisis management area. In his intervention at the meeting, the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, said that we have gained from our participation in the EAPC and that Ireland is also sharing with other participating states the experience we have gained in United Nations peacekeeping and crisis management. He indicated that this co-operation is in keeping with our long-standing policy of military neutrality and our active engagement in international peacekeeping.
The Minister of State also availed of the opportunity afforded by the high-level presence at the EAPC meeting in Prague to hold bilateral meetings on a variety of European issues with the President of Finland, the Foreign Minister of Iceland and the Under-Secretary of State at the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
