Isolationism 'no longer an option' for Ireland, Micheál Martin says

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said Ireland 'must cooperate' with other European countries in areas such as cybersecurity, maritime security and protecting subsea cables.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said isolationism was “no longer an option” for Ireland and that the country “must cooperate” with other European countries in areas such as cybersecurity, maritime security and protecting subsea cables.

Mr Martin, who is also Foreign Affairs Minister and Defence Minister, was commenting on the launch of a public consultation process for the Forum on International Security Policy.

The forum is holding three meetings in the coming month — starting in University College Cork on June 22, University of Galway on the following day, with two meetings in Dublin Castle on June 26 and 27.

“We can never again be on our own,” the Tánaiste told RTÉ’s News at One. “

Isolationism is not an option here. We must cooperate and coordinate in terms of issues like cybersecurity, maritime security, protecting subsea cables that are vital to our economic wellbeing.”

Military neutrality

He said the country’s policing of military neutrality would be one of the key issues up for discussion.

“The purpose of this is to have a national conversation, the first ever really national consultative forum on international security and policy and foreign policy," he said.

“It will be looking at the range of new challenges coming on stream, the cybersecurity challenge, the challenge around subsea cables, maritime security, hybrid threats, disinformation and so on, and also then examining Ireland's participation in the European Union Common Security and Defence policy, which we've been part of for quite a long time.” 

He said there was also the Partnership for Peace with Nato, which Ireland was part of since 1999 and the EU military co-operation project Pesco, which Ireland joined in 2017, but has only taken limited part in.

“It [neutrality] will be discussed,” the Tánaiste said. “It will be discussed at the consultative forum. But the Government have no plans to change our policy of military neutrality, which essentially is we are not members of Nato or we're not members of a mutual defence pact.” 

On the ‘triple lock’ governing the deployment of Irish troops overseas — requiring authorisation of the Government, the Dáil and the UN Security Council — Mr Martin said because of the behaviour of Russia on the council and its violation of the UN Charter through its invasion of Ukraine, it was something that would have to examined.