{"id":25477,"date":"2022-03-13T09:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-13T13:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=25477"},"modified":"2022-03-14T12:35:35","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T16:35:35","slug":"debate-on-military-neutrality-will-happen-says-taoiseach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=25477","title":{"rendered":"Debate On Military Neutrality Will Happen Says Taoiseach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Miche\u00e1l Martin stressed his country is not politically or morally neutral on the Russian invasion of Ukraine (PA Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There will be a debate in Ireland on its long-standing tradition of military neutrality, the Taoiseach has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ireland has been neutral since the 1930s, including throughout the Second World War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Miche\u00e1l Martin stressed his country is not politically or morally neutral on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the \u201cturning upside down\u201d of the order by Russian president Vladimir Putin and increasing cyber threats \u2013 including a major cyberattack on the Irish health service last year \u2013 should be reflected on in the longer term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy view right now is our focus is, and the people united on this, is to make sure that there is a speedy response from the European Union on all of the issues that require a such speedy response,\u201d he told the BBC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will have to reflect on this military neutrality position more generally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not a military power in that sense, what Ireland does best is on the humanitarian side, and on the peacekeeping side. Those are our strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bottom line now is that we need to keep a unified focus within Ireland on the Ukrainian situation and what we do best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne cannot, in the middle of a crisis, change a long-held policy overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Martin said Ireland would reflect on the impact of Russian president Vladimir Putin\u2019s actions in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe order has been turned upside down by President Putin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to reflect on that as a country. We have to reflect on the cybersecurity threat. It\u2019s not just conventional warfare, it\u2019s the cybersecurity hybrid warfare. It has implications for the European Union, it has implications for Ireland in terms of our vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a major cyberattack on our health service last year in the middle of Covid, it was a very severe attack, the UK was very helpful to us, Poland was helpful to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere will be a debate in Ireland but we don\u2019t have time for it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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