Minister McEntee Attends Extraordinary Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers and GCC Foreign Ministers

Minister McEntee Attends Extraordinary Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers and GCC Foreign Ministers

• From: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• Published on: 5 March 2026
• Last updated on: 5 March 2026

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, today participated in an Extraordinary virtual meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. EU Ministers were joined by the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

The Minister said: "I welcomed today's opportunity to discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East with my colleagues in the Gulf region. I have spoken with a number of them in recent days to express Ireland's sympathy and solidarity following Iran's unacceptable and indiscriminate military strikes against Gulf countries. These attacks are deeply concerning. These countries are home to large Irish communities. They have not attacked Iran. We have seen attacks on airports, residential buildings and energy infrastructure in Gulf countries. These are violations of international law. I call on Iran immediately to halt its attacks.

"The rapid widening of the conflict is alarming and brings greater risk and suffering for the region. During the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, I emphasised that the goal must be to quickly end this conflict and de-escalate the situation. I called on all partners to exercise restraint and to respect international law. This is a region that has seen too much conflict. We must do all we can to encourage a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy to address legitimate international concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, its destabilising influence in the region, its support for Russia's war in Ukraine and the repression of Iranian citizens by the authorities.

"Our priority continues to be the safety of our citizens living in the Gulf region and those who have been caught up by flight disruptions as a result of the conflict. It is important that close cooperation and coordination among EU Member States on consular matters continues.

"This cooperation has been particularly important as we work to assist Irish citizens to depart the region, including on our first charter flight. We will continue to offer consular assistance to all of our citizens in the region."

ENDS

Press Office

5 March 2026