Ireland’s president has rebuked the government for launching a debate about the country’s longstanding military neutrality and the possibility of joining Nato, saying ministers were “playing with fire”.
Michael D Higgins accused the government of a dangerous “drift” from a cornerstone of Irish foreign policy and said it risked “burying” Ireland in other people’s agendas.
The intervention, made in an interview with the
Business Post newspaper on Sunday, puts a spotlight on a government-sponsored forum on international security, where Ireland’s neutrality will be debated. It also raises questions on the role of the president, who occupies a largely ceremonial post.…
The arrival of Ukrainian refugees, incursions by Russian ships that are suspected of mapping underwater cables and a
2021 ransomware attack by suspected Russian gangs on the health service have raised questions about Ireland’s meagre security resources.
The justice minister, Helen McEntee, defended holding the forum. “The president himself knows what the boundaries are here, and he expressed his views. Many would agree with him, there are many who would disagree, and that’s why we need to have this forum,” she told the Newstalk radio network.
Neale Richmond, the junior enterprise minister, said the president had sailed “close to the line”.
Ireland has joined UN peacekeeping missions but shunned military alliances and invested little in defence compared with other countries. Critics accuse it of saving money and claiming the moral high ground while sheltering beneath a
Nato umbrella.
Micheál Martin, the deputy prime minister, said the government did not intend to abandon military neutrality but that the forum would explore evolving security needs.
Ireland has previously convened citizens’ assemblies to
debate constitutional changes such as ending an abortion ban.
The upcoming consultative forum involves experts, academics and service personnel as well as citizens. They will meet on 22-27 June in Cork, Galway and Dublin…..