Ireland needs to 'reflect' on military neutrality — Taoiseach
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Ireland must have an evidence-based reflection on its military neutrality, the Taoiseach has said.
Speaking in Strasbourg where he addressed the European Parliament, Michéal Martin responded to comments from Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who said he was confident a referendum on Irish involvement in an EU army would be passed by the Irish public.
Asked by the how he would vote on such a proposal, Mr Martin said there were larger questions for the country.
"And I think it's important to take everything in the round and to assess that in the context of the citizen's assembly, which would bring an informed evidence-based approach to deciding upon that issue."
Mr Martin said Ireland does not need a referendum to join Nato but would need one to join a European Union defence pact, if one was formed.
"For the moment, I'm focused on maintaining the unity of purpose that is very evident in Ireland in relation to our overall approach to Ukraine. Our position has not in any way injured or stymied the broader European Union response, particularly the deployment of the peace facility.
"We are part of the European security defence process and associated discussions for many, many years. We work with our colleagues to develop stronger interoperability between our defence forces, particularly in joint peacekeeping missions and peace enforcement missions. That's the journey I see ahead of us.
"But I do think we need a reflection on it. But it needs to be informed, without division, and that's with a professional evidence-based informed approach."
Responding to the same question, president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said the concept of neutrality was different from country to country but the war in Ukraine had changed what it meant to some places like Finland or Sweden.
"This parliament has called for a real security and defence policy of the European Union, understanding that different member states have different realities, different histories and different processes and procedures they would need to go through, but at the end of the day, politically, to quote an old saying — you can't be neutral between the fire and the fire brigade.
"That is something that is happening in all national parliaments when discussing how we are addressing an invasion by an autocratic regime, unilaterally in the most brutal manners that have threatened the very territorial sovereignty of a country on our continent."
The Taoiseach described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a 19th-century outlook and was "anathema" to Ireland given our own history.