The Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, today (Wednesday, 12 August), met with General Grynkewich, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
Commenting on his meeting, the Minister of State for Defence, Thomas Byrne TD said:
“I welcomed the opportunity to meet with General Grynkewich in Dublin today. Ireland’s engagement with NATO through Partnership for Peace has provided our Defences Forces with valuable opportunities since 1999 for useful and pragmatic collaboration, in our contribution to peacekeeping globally, and in adherence with our policy of military neutrality.
“Ireland’s relationship with NATO through the Partnership for Peace Programme is of high value, particularly in relation to access to military training and education.
“Access to this training and education enables the Defence Forces to attain best practice and allows for interoperability, when working alongside other nations on overseas missions, which is a key component of force protection.”
Minister Byrne continued: “During my meeting with General Grynkewich, we discussed the Irish EU Presidency and our priorities for our term. We also discussed Ireland’s contribution to overseas peacekeeping missions, including the KFOR Mission in Kosovo, which I visited last year.
“Our meeting also covered national flagship defence capability development projects currently in progress in Ireland and the recently launched National Maritime Security Strategy. Ireland has a longstanding policy of international cooperation, be it through our EU and UN membership, or through our relationship with NATO under Partnership for Peace over the past twenty-seven years.”
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