Mattie McGrath warns Ireland is abandoning neutrality
Mattie McGrath welcomed Ambassador Jeresko and her team and spoke about the war in Ukraine and its effects on Irish policy. He argued Ireland is abandoning its neutral stance, warned against closer ties with NATO and PESCO, and urged that neutrality be valued and defended.
Welcome to Ambassador Jeresko
Mattie McGrath opened by welcoming Ambassador Jeresko and her team. He said he looked forward to a productive dialogue and to meeting the Ambassador.
Concerns about Irish neutrality and security
He said he was very concerned about developments in Ukraine and worried that Ireland - neutral in name - was abandoning that status. He criticised statements and noises from NATO and Europe, warned such actions risk provoking a response, and opposed moves towards PESCO and other similar arrangements - arguing Ireland should value its neutrality.
Local impact on Ukrainian nationals in Tipperary
McGrath noted many Ukrainian citizens and nationals live and work in Tipperary, describing them as craftsmen, tradespeople and valuable, friendly workers with families in the county. He said he had met many of them and expressed concern for their situation.
Selective international response to human rights abuses
He criticised what he called a blind eye to oppression and genocide around the world, saying some abuses are ignored when it does not suit political agendas. He referenced International Women's Day and warned that minority Muslim and Christian women facing slaughter, abuse, forced marriage and trafficking are often not listened to.
Defence capability and warnings about war
McGrath said Ireland's army had been diminished "to nothing" and lacked respect, warning it was inconsistent to flex military muscles abroad while failing to speak out on other issues. He said nobody wanted war because of the ferocious human costs, and reiterated his call to support and preserve Irish neutrality.
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I would like to welcome Ambassador Jeresko here tonight and her team and look forward on behalf of our group to a productive dialogue with the Ambassador and look forward to meeting her as well. I'm very concerned about what's going on like everybody else and there's many, many Ukrainian citizens, many minor citizens now, but Ukrainian nationals living and working in Tipperary and have families there and I've met many of them. and indeed crafts and trades and everything else and they're a valuable source of workers and very friendly people in Tipperary and around the country as well. But I am worried about our situation in Ireland being a neutral country with the name of it, but we are abandoning it and you know that too, Minister, and we don't have it anymore. And I am worried about some of the statements being made and some of the noises being made by NATO and by Europe as well. And we're provoking a situation. You don't be kicking a bull or kick a dog off enough and he'll bite. So I'm just, I'm worried. And we turn our blind eye then in many cases to many, many cases all over the world of oppression and of genocide and everything else. We don't mention it at all because it doesn't suit us. And I mean, we have International Women's Day coming up and it's being welcomed and it's being organised and celebrated in this country. And we have minority Muslim and Christian sex. The women have been slaughtered and abused and forced marriages and trafficked and there's people talking about that here as well on International Women's Day and how many people have listened to them. So we're ignoring that and we shouldn't be ignoring. So we have to play our part certainly, but with our army diminished to nothing here, we have no respect for our army anymore. And yet we want to be flexing our muscles and we won't speak out about issues that we should speak out about as well. So we're selective in who we speak out about. I don't want to see war more than anybody else. Human costs, it'll be ferocious, but this is just not acceptable. As far as I'm concerned, and the way that we are, you know what I mean, making noises and going towards PESCO and other situations like that, I totally think we should value our neutrality and support it. Thank you.
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