Statement by Ireland at Special OSCE Permanent Council on 9 July 2024
Madam Chair,
Ireland fully aligns with the statement made by the EU and I would like to add some comments in our national capacity.
Ireland condemns in the strongest possible terms attacks against civilians and civilian objects, which are prohibited by international law.
Russia’s appalling missile attack yesterday added to the tens of thousands of people in Ukraine already killed and injured in Russia’s unprovoked and illegal war of aggression.
We extend heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
In a conflict that has seen many horrifying acts carried out by Russia’s Armed Forces, the direct missile strike on a hospital caring for children with cancer stands out as a particularly barbaric and shameful act.
Madam Chair,
This barbarity must stop.
The Russian delegation speaks at this Council about Russia’s so-called ‘peace proposals’, while volleys of missiles kill and terrorise Ukraine’s civilian population.
The Russian delegation is fooling nobody.
Ireland’s Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Micheál Martin, said yesterday:
‘A state that commits war crimes by targeting sick children using hypersonic missiles has no interest in peace.
We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes’.
Thank you, Madam Chair.