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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić.

Varadkar lends support to Ukraine 'damages register' and pledges new funding to Council of Europe

Russia was excluded as a member last year and the ongoing war in Ukraine will dominate the Summit.

LAST UPDATE | 16 May 2023

Diarmuid Pepper reporting from Reykjavik

TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR is in Icelandic capital of Reykjavik for a Council of Europe Summit and has lent his support to a “register of damages” for those who have suffered from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia was excluded from the Council of Europe last year and the Summit will heavily focus on the organisation’s response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Varadkar told reporters that there is “no better time than now for all of the leaders in wider Europe to come together”.

He added: “A big part of what we do here is pledging solidarity with Ukraine and initiating a register of damages to begin the process of recording the damages that Russia has imposed on Ukraine because of the war there so that Ukraine can get reparations down the road to rebuild its country once the war is over.”

IMG_9684 Armed guards outside the Harpa Concert Hall. Diarmuid Pepper / The Journal Diarmuid Pepper / The Journal / The Journal

Varadkar also met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and “committed additional contributions from Ireland to the Council of Europe”.

He explained that “since Russia was expelled, the budget for the Council of Europe has gone down because the Russian membership fee is gone”.

“So we’re making an additional contribution that’s being used to strengthen the European Court on Human Rights, but also for other priorities including helping the democracy movement in Belarus and also increased activity and action by the Council on LGBT rights and also on gender based domestic violence.”

The additional contribution is a fee of €325,000 euros, and Varadkar confirmed that “that’s on top of our regular membership contribution”.

Later this evening, the Taoiseach will co-chair a roundtable discussion on ‘supporting Ukraine – solidarity and accountability’.

The Council of Europe (COE) is the continent’s leading organisation in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

It was established in 1949 in the wake of World War II with the aim of promoting stability and increasing cooperation on the continent.

There are currently 46 member states and five observer states, which includes the United States, Japan, the Vatican, Canada, and Mexico.

Every European state except for Belarus, Russia and Kosovo is a member.

Russia was excluded from the COE in March of last year after launching an invasion of Ukraine.

IMG_9680 Icelandic Coast Guard close to the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre. Diarmuid Pepper / The Journal Diarmuid Pepper / The Journal / The Journal

The leaders of all the COE member states have been invited to attend the Summit in the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, alongside representatives from the observer states.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was recently sentenced to 15 years in jail in Belarus in absentia on charges of high treason, is also in attendance.

She said she is “grateful” to be invited by Iceland and added: “In this harsh time, Europe must stay united.

“We can’t win this fight alone. Our goal is to return Belarus to Europe’s family of nations and become a COE member.”

It is only the fourth time that the leaders of the member states will meet for a COE Summit in its 74-year history.

It is also the first Summit to be held since Russia was suspended from the organisation.

Iceland took over the Presidency of the Council of Europe from Ireland last November, and will hand the presidency on to Latvia during the upcoming Summit.

The last Summit was held in 2005 in Warsaw, Poland.

However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a COE spokesperson said “it became clear that cooperation and solidarity within Europe would be under strain”.

As a result, discussions began last May “on whether it was time, in light of the global situation, to convene a Summit of the Council of Europe”.

Iceland, which currently holds the presidency, then announced that it was prepared to take on the task of hosting the Summit in Reykjavik.

A COE spokesperson said the aim of the Summit is for “its conclusions to be genuinely effective for Ukraine and to ensure accountability for the crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine”.

The spokesperson added: “The aim is to set up a register of damages where all those who have suffered damages and harm due to the invasion can have them recorded and subsequently redressed, as well as to seek ways to make those who have committed crimes in Ukraine accountable for their actions.”

“There is also hope that the Summit will issue clear instructions to the member states on how to promote democracy within the council of Europe’s member states.”

The Summit will also “mark the beginning of efforts to address various modern challenges”, such as “environmental issues, artificial intelligence and digital development”.

Around 900 delegates are expected to attend the two-day Summit.

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    Mute Rafa C
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    May 16th 2023, 7:03 AM

    Leo off on his jollys again.

    486
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    May 16th 2023, 7:24 AM

    @Rafa C: along with 900 others. Why don’t you moan about them also?

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    Mute Rafa Condron
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    May 16th 2023, 7:31 AM

    @Paul Furey: only concerned with Ireland that’s why. Name the 900 others going please.

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    Mute A D
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    May 16th 2023, 9:58 AM

    @Rafa Condron: google Council of Europe Summit

    44
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    Mute Ciaran
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    May 16th 2023, 11:01 AM

    @Rafa C: he is the leader of the country .. he is supposed to be there you pleb

    68
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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    May 16th 2023, 10:56 PM

    @Rafa C: if you call travelling to help creating a register of war crimes and genocide “a jolly”, then yes.

    7
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    Mute Patrick Newell
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    May 16th 2023, 8:11 AM

    something something Ukraine, something something Russia is evil, something something climate change…..isnt that all these lot in the EU care about these days sure

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    Mute Nicholas McMurry
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    May 16th 2023, 8:49 AM

    @Patrick Newell: Read the article. It’s not the EU.

    63
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    Mute michael mc evoy
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    May 16th 2023, 10:40 AM

    What punch line will Matt have for this trip ?

    142
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    Mute John O Mahony
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    May 16th 2023, 11:43 AM

    Just hope he and his entourage won’t emmbarass the nation again.

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    Mute Kris Bopp
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    May 16th 2023, 7:36 AM

    @PearlFinkle – The journal stasi know my real name. But kudos to you proving my personal observation on your complete lack of originality in the article about General Zelensky’s grand European tour.
    Anything else you’d like to recycle?

    77
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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    May 16th 2023, 10:58 PM

    @Kris Bopp: krisski.

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    Mute honey badger
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    May 16th 2023, 8:06 AM

    @Dancey: I didn’t see a criticism of our government. I saw a comment on Varadkar. I thought to myself this is the same guy who can’t bring himself to utter one negative word about Putin or the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ( which he and I have commented on extensively.)
    I made me wonder how Varadkar going to a council of Europe meeting generated “odious”, but the Russian invasion and the killing of thousands of civilians in that invasion merited not a peep of criticism.
    I hope this helps you understand. Any other questions?

    65
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 16th 2023, 7:48 AM

    @Kris Bopp:
    No amount of ‘hilarious’ name changing is going to hide your inability to call out Putins invasion of Ukraine.
    We see you Kris.

    52
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    Mute Dancey McDonagh
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    May 16th 2023, 7:49 AM

    @honey badger: Is this a new rule? Are we obliged to criticise Putin’s invasion of Ukraine before we can make any criticism of our own government?

    196
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    Mute michael mc evoy
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    May 16th 2023, 9:02 PM

    All he seems to know how to do is spend our money !

    41
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    Mute Kris Bopp
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    May 16th 2023, 10:30 AM

    @A D – I am Irish. I am born in north of Dublin, Coolock Oblast. Near to Northernside shopping centre – The great and big shopping centre.

    36
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 11:21 AM

    @Kris Bopp: You mean the Northside Shopping centre no? LOL The Coolock Oblast? Is that near Coolock?

    34
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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    May 16th 2023, 11:02 PM

    @Kris Bopp: lol “northernside shopping center” there is even a damn jungle we all know and sing.

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    Mute A D
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    May 17th 2023, 3:25 PM

    @Kris Bopp: Oblast is, I believe, a Russian and Ukrainian term? область. Wikipedia says it’s often translated into English as ‘region’, or ‘province’.
    Typically, as pointed out by the other posts, a Dubliner would say something like northside shopping center. Not Northernside shopping centre.
    (…was born in north Dublin. Past tense. Not am born in north of Dublin.)
    (I couldn’t find a google result for Coolock Oblast.)
    It doesn’t read like you were born here.

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    Mute p m
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    May 16th 2023, 11:42 AM

    Another interesting summit that hasn’t been mentioned here (quelle surprise) is the International Covid Summit III. Was on last week in the European Parliament, but only 4-5 MEPs spoke. Anyway the vids are up now on youtube…..huge amounts of primary data were presented for those interested in science, and what further planning EU leaders have in store

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    Mute redmarkod
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    May 16th 2023, 3:20 PM

    Hopefully a volcano erupts, and he cant home

    51
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    Mute Benny Dowling
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    May 16th 2023, 8:21 PM

    I hope this damage register will be extended to the ppls of Iraq,Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen etc

    35
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    Mute Nestor
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    May 17th 2023, 1:21 AM

    @Benny Dowling:

    Do you think Varadkar or Martin are brave enough to suggest that?

    9
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    Mute Kris Bopp
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    May 16th 2023, 7:26 AM

    @humblebungle – Did you get word of the day toilet paper for your birthday as well?

    35
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 16th 2023, 7:34 AM

    @Kris Bopp: ‘позор’ would be a decent translation of it. Hope that helps.
    Still dodging criticising Putins invasion of Ukraine though. We see you Kris.

    47
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    Mute Real Chief Police Trump MAGA 2024
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    May 16th 2023, 7:27 PM

    Putin had the same judo instructor as the late michael jackson. Both operate under the code of Bushido.

    Not defending putin by a mile but what is banning going to achieve. You have to talk to your enemies otherwise the stay your enemy

    25
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    May 16th 2023, 7:11 PM

    The Council of Europe is something Ireland joined in 1949 when the Minister for External Affairs (now DFA) was Sean MacBride, later to be a founder member of Amnesty etc. How often are the meetings and deliberations of the Council of Europe reported and commented on by Irish journalists?

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    Mute Derek Doogan
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    May 16th 2023, 9:02 PM

    An open comments on leo jesus christ

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    Mute Nestor
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    May 17th 2023, 1:18 AM

    “Varadkar added: “A big part of what we do here is pledging solidarity with Ukraine and initiating a register of damages to begin the process of recording the damages that Russia has imposed on Ukraine because of the war there so that Ukraine can get reparations down the road to rebuild its country once the war is over.””

    This is an utterly inappropriate comment for Varadkar, the Prime Minister of a neutral country, to make!
    All victims of this war should be considered, whether they are Ukrainians or Russians.

    19
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