MEET UP
Taoiseach lands in Paris for ‘bilateral meeting’ with French President Emmanuel Macron as Gaza and Ukraine on the cards
The two national leaders are set to discuss several issues
TAOISEACH Simon Harris has landed in Paris ahead of a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron today.
Meeting at the Élysée Palace, the two national leaders are set to discuss several issues relating to the EU council.
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As well as this, they are also set to talk about bilateral matters, including education and tourism.
They will also discuss maritime connections and energy cooperation among these issues.
Relations regarding international matters are also set to be on the cards as the two discuss a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza as well as their support for Ukraine in their war against Russia.
Simon Harris said in a statement that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in no longer simply about the people being killed in Israeli airstrikes, but the diseases spreading.
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He also noted that the UN has confirmed that 50,000 children in Gaza have not been immunised against polio due to the lack of healthcare.
He said that "Ireland fully supports the international efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire, the release of hostages and the free flowing of aid".
While in Paris, the Taoiseach took time to meet with members of Team Ireland ahead of tomorrow's opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
Several members of Team Ireland met with Harris as he toured through the Athletes' Village.
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The games kick off on August 28, with 35 athletes competing for Ireland in nine different sports.
Separately, Harris has criticised attempts to silence elected politicians through violence and intimidation at a ceremony marking the death of Michael Collins today.
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Mr Harris said the Irish revolutionary’s death 102 years ago marked a turbulent time in Ireland.
He said lessons learned from that time now inform Irish values that “are gifts to the world, if we have the courage to live by them ourselves”.
Fidelma Collins, a grandniece of Mr Collins, was among those in attendance at the commemoration in west Cork on Sunday.
Mr Collins, who was finance minister at the time, was shot and killed during an ambush by anti-Treaty forces on August 22 1922, near Beal na Blath in Co Cork during the civil war.
The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was negotiated and signed by an Irish delegation including Mr Collins, provided a pathway to establish an Irish Free State.
There was strong pushback against the treaty’s provision for an oath of allegiance to the British monarchy and for partition, which led to a civil war.
Mr Harris said Ireland has learned from its history: by standing for self-determination in Ukraine, for dialogue in the Middle East and for improving conditions in countries suffering from civil wars and famine.
He added: “These are the values that Ireland brings to the world: a dedication to peace, a respect for diversity, and a steadfast belief in the power of dialogue over discord.
“True strength does not lie in force."