Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
409. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he and-or the relevant Minister of State and his Department were each first notified of the proposed military exercises by the Russian Federation which were originally proposed to be conducted in Ireland’s exclusive economic zone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11188/22]
View answerOn 20 January, my Department was made aware of the proposed military exercises, following notification of planned artillery tests sent to the Irish Aviation Authority by their Russian air traffic management counterparts, in line with the normal international processes under the Chicago Convention of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Following engagements with the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Dublin over the following week, I wrote to the Minister of Defence of Russia, Sergey Shoygu, to request a reconsideration of the planned Russian naval exercises off the Irish coast.
In this correspondence, I raised a number of concerns in respect of these exercises, notably in light of the political and security situation in Europe.
I subsequently received a response from Minister Shoygu, confirming that the exercise would be relocated outside of Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
