Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland and Peru have a strong and wide-ranging bilateral relationship, reinforced by the launch of Ireland’s Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022, which seeks to enhance relations with the countries of the region across several key areas of engagement. My Department and the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs engage regularly on issues of importance in the relationship.

Following the outbreak of political unrest and associated protests in Peru in late 2022, Ireland and our EU partners strongly condemned all violence and any disproportionate use of force by security forces. Subsequent statements by the EU further underscored this message, while also deploring the large number of casualties, reiterating support to peaceful social protest, and welcoming the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ decision to observe the human rights situation in Peru and engage with a range of interlocutors.

Ireland and the EU have called on the government in Lima and all political actors to take urgent steps to reduce tension and engage in inclusive dialogue in order to reach a lasting solution to the crisis. The EU also made clear that it trusts that the relevant national institutions will investigate and bring to justice those responsible for abuses or violations of human rights; the Peruvian authorities’ investigations in this regard are ongoing.

Ireland, together with our EU partners, will remain actively engaged on these issues, including through the EU Delegation in Lima and through our accredited Embassy in Santiago de Chile. We will also remain fully committed to supporting Peruvian efforts to engage in dialogue with all parties involved in, or impacted by, the unrest, including civil society and affected communities.