The British government’s claim that implementing the Northern Ireland protocol is incompatible with the Belfast Agreement is “disingenuous” and “dangerous”, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said.
Mr Coveney said it is “deeply disappointing” that Downing Street has said it intends to table legislation in the coming weeks that will “unilaterally disapply elements of the protocol which is now international law”.
“This action is contrary to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, where genuine trust and partnership between both governments have time and time again proved crucial to share progress,” Mr Coveney told the Dáil.
“As the protocol is an integral part of an international agreement, such action would amount to a serious violation of international law also.”
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The Minister was speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday, where statements were being heard on recent developments in Northern Ireland.
Mr Coveney said there had been “a distinct shift” away from partnership by the British government in relation to Northern Ireland and that the Belfast Agreement was “under strain”.
“I firmly believe that in the longer arc of history, we are moving in the right direction, less bound by the conflicts and differences of the past but right now, we are in a challenging place and it’s important to call out that bluntly,” he said.
“The Programme for Government underlines the importance of the bilateral relationship. Our relationship with Great Britain is unique; our two islands are deeply intertwined. Away from politics, the relationship is thriving through ties of kinship, commerce and culture but in the political arena, things are far from where they should be.”
He said recent actions by the UK gave cause to reflect “we are not where we want to be”, adding that “we are firefighting rather than looking to the future”.
Mr Coveney also said in the “heated atmosphere” leading up to and following the Northern Ireland election, he was accused of “threatening violence in the context of Brexit”.
“Nothing could be further from the truth and I would challenge anybody to show otherwise,” he said. “I’ve warned about unravelling of the fabric of the [Good Friday] Agreement because I remember what went before, to remember those days is not a threat, it should be seen as a motivation.”
He said he had been subject to the “direct threat” of violence when delivering a speech in Belfast last March.
“A van driver was hijacked at gunpoint and forced to drive to where I was speaking with what he believed to be a viable explosive device in the back of his van,” Mr Coveney said.
“I feel for that driver and his family. It’s hard to imagine the trauma that he must feel. There is no room for violence or threat of violence from any quarter in Northern Ireland right now.”
