Malcolm Byrne
Question:81. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence to provide an update on the recent meeting with the chair of the Estonian Parliamentary National Defence Committee. [32726/26]
View answerThursday, 7 May 2026
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On 17 April, Minister of State for Defence, Thomas Byrne T.D., met with the Chair of the Estonian Parliamentary National Defence Committee, Grigore Kalev Stoicescu, during his visit to Tallinn. During his visit, Minister Byrne also met with the Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, and visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, in which Ireland participates as part of Partnership for Peace.
During his meeting with Deputy Stoicescu, Minister Byrne set out Ireland’s intention to constructively take forward the security and defence agenda at EU level, during our EU Presidency.
Minister Byrne and Deputy Stoicescu also discussed support for Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression, including through bilateral donations, via Ireland's membership of the Ukraine-Defence Contact Group IT Coalitions – of which Estonia is joint-chair, along with Luxembourg – and through the provision of continued non-lethal military support and engagement in the EU’s Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine.
Minister Byrne also commended the work that the Estonian-led IT Coalition, is doing in support of Ukraine. He also noted that both Ireland and Estonia are members of the current UNIFIL mission in South Lebanon, and both took to opportunity to exchange views on the challenging situation in Southern Lebanon at present.