I must now deal with a postponed division relating to amendment No. 1 in the name of Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett to the motion re support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. On Tuesday, 1 March 2022, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Support for the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, on Tuesday, 1 March 2022:
That Dáil Éireann:
recalls:
— that in the first Article of Bunreacht na hÉireann the Irish nation affirmed its inalienable, indefeasible, and sovereign right to choose its own form of Government, to determine its relations with other nations, and to develop its life, political, economic and cultural, in accordance with its own genius and traditions;
— that Ireland believes in, and is fully committed to the core principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN), which include the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states;
— that Ukraine has the same fundamental right as every other sovereign and independent state to choose its own foreign policy and to ensure the security and defence of its own territory; and
— the commitments we make as members of the UN are binding on every UN Member State;
reaffirms its commitment to the principle of the pacific settlement of disputes and calls on all nations to settle disputes peacefully in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations;
condemns in the strongest terms Russia's acts of aggression against Ukraine and reaffirms its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders;
notes that our deep concern about the actions of the Russian leadership does not diminish the friendship and respect we have for ordinary Russians, including those who have built a future in Ireland;
rejects the decision of the Russian Federation to recognise the so-called "independence" of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and calls upon the Russian Federation to reverse this decision;
urges Russia to reverse the recognition, withdraw its military forces, and return to discussions within the Normandy format;
calls for the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements as endorsed by the Security Council in UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015);
welcomes the commitment of €10 million in humanitarian aid to the Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan as an expression of Irish solidarity with the people of Ukraine; and
calls upon the Secretary General of the United Nations to use his good offices to search for a peaceful settlement.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To insert the following after "good offices to search for a peaceful settlement"
"— further calls for Ireland to provide increased humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine and for Ireland to offer refuge for all people fleeing the war;
— further condemns the arrests and persecution of anti-war protestors by President Putin and the Russian state; salutes the bravery of the growing anti-war protests in Russia; and calls for support across the world for further mobilisation of anti-war movements in Russia and worldwide as the best hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and avoidance of the risk of war between major powers;
— further notes the risk of nuclear conflict out of Ukraine and calls on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to de-escalate its military presence and withdraw battle groups and missiles in Eastern Europe; and
— further reaffirms that Ireland is a militarily neutral State, that it will maintain a policy of non-membership of military alliances, that it will not participate in any war or armed conflict nor aid foreign powers in any way in preparation for, or in the conduct of, war or armed conflict, including through the mechanism of the European Union, without prior assent of Dáil Éireann".
- (Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett)
Amendment put.
Will the Deputies claiming a division please rise?
Deputies Pringle, Joan Collins, McNamara, Boyd Barrett, Bríd Smith, Paul Murphy and Barry rose.
As fewer than ten Members have risen I declare the amendment lost. In accordance with Standing Order 82 the names of the Deputies dissenting will be recorded in the Journal of the Proceedings of the Dáil.
Amendment declared lost.
Motion agreed to.