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LAST UPDATE | 27 Jan 2022
THE DEFENCE FORCES has revealed that it agreed late last year to arrange a meeting between Chief of Staff Seán Clancy and the Russian ambassador to Ireland, following a request from the Russian embassy.
A Defence Forces spokesperson confirmed to The Journal that Ambassador Yuri Filatov’s officials asked to meet with Seán Clancy in November. Clancy took over in the role in September of last year.
The spokesperson said that the meeting was part of an ongoing set of visits from foreign diplomats to discuss military matters.
“In late November 2021, the Russian Ambassador, Yury Filatov, requested a courtesy call with the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy and the meeting was arranged for late January 2022.
“The meeting was held on the 21 January 2022, in the Chief of Staff’s Office, McKee Barracks, Dublin. Since his appointment as Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Clancy has met, and continues to meet with foreign dignitaries and representatives as part of his protocol responsibilities as Chief of Staff,” the spokesperson said.
The latest development comes after Defence Minister Simon Coveney today gave his full support to Lieutenant General Clancy in the Dáil today, following criticism of comments made by the Cork TD last night.
Speaking at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last night, Coveney said he was surprised by a photograph of the Clancy meeting with the Russian ambassador.
It’s understood Coveney also said the meeting was ill-judged, and that he had been told it was part of a series of meetings Clancy was undertaking with a number of ambassadors.
The Russian Embassy in Ireland tweeted a picture on Friday of Sean Clancy posing with Ambassador Yury Filatov, with the post noting that they had discussed issues of Russian-Irish relations and the international agenda “as well as prospects of contacts between armed forces of two countries”.
On January 21 the Ambassador of #Russia to #Ireland Y.Filatov met with the Member of the Chief of Defence Staff of Ireland S.Clancy. Parties discussed the issues of 🇷🇺🇮🇪 relations and international agenda, as well as prospects of contacts between armed forces of two countries. pic.twitter.com/lR9GuwBFjG
— Russia in Ireland (@Rus_Emb_Ireland) January 21, 2022
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Coveney said he had “no hesitation in expressing my full support and confidence in the Chief of Staff and in his judgement”.
“The Chief is holding a number of pro forma meetings” with diplomats as is usual when appointed, Coveney noted.
He said that what he had commented on last night related to the timing of the meeting with the Russian ambassador, and the tweet drawing attention to it.
“I have absolutely no reservations or no questions about his actions. I don’t think it’s welcome that the Chief of Staff has been brought into public commentary and political debate, and I recognise that I have made a contribution to allowing that to happen, and I’d certainly like to correct that this morning.”
Coveney had been criticised by Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence John Brady who said the minister’s actions had “undermined his Chief of Staff at the very start of their tenure”.
In the wake of the latest statement from the Defence Forces confirming the meeting had been in the works since November, The Journal asked spokesperson for Minister Coveney whether he had any further comment. The spokesperson said they had nothing to add beyond Coveney’s statement in the Dáil.
This morning, the Department of Transport issued a marine notice advising all seafarers that the Russian Navy will carry out manoeuvres off the southwest coast of Ireland from 3 to 8 February.
Fishermen have today also met with the Russian ambassador over concerns for their safety during the military drills.
The Russian artillery drills at the start of February will take place in international waters but within Irish-controlled airspace and the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
With reporting from Garreth MacNamee.
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Last time I saw that happen was here with a BOI Insurance sponsored story. It came up late at night and in minutes all the comments lashed out at the bank. In an hour the article went away quitely in the night.
Bankers really do not know how much they are hated.
Sure what did they expect being financial terrorists and all
Financial terrorists, good one!
Freedom fighters
JP Morgan have destroyed a lot of countries in the world, greedy sons of b****es that will stop at nothing for more wealth. They are one of the 14 banks in the us that own the FEDThey own companies all over the world. There the biggest shareholders in BP, and a number of key mining and oil companies. They don’t just do banking. They are corrupt and trade inside illegially. They cause more misery in the world than some of the worst governments.
Well said ned, its been pushed by some countries and companies that the dollar should end as a world reserve currency. This would put a major obstacle in the way of JPM and the corrupt federal reserve. The dollar has been washed away to the extent its not even worth paper and the only way to keep it as a world reserve is corrupt low tactics.
They also funded the Nazis. Their major shareholders are the puppet masters.
if you’ve seen the movie “wall street” made in 1987. At the very start the first lines of the movie are “The biggest mistake we ever made was letting Nixon get off the gold standard”. This refers to 1972 when the dollar was backed by gold,
To explain after WW2, the dollar was the world currency and if you had a dollar bill the US Federal Reserve would of given you gold instead of your dollar bill if you wanted to cash it in. The Nixon shock was when france wanted to cash in the dollars they had for gold and the US FED didn’t have enough gold to give them.
The Nixon shock was when he convinced the middle east countries to trade oil for dollars only. saving the dollar and creating the petrodollar. Since then the only value dollars have are the paper there printed. the dollar is going to crashing down. like MrKnow said its only worth paper…
Russia have introduced a bill to ban dollars from use in the country. Many more countries are following suit. The dollar is dying………… But you won’t find that news on the Journal or any other irish or UK media sources.
@Dairmuid very well said, a lot of people don’t understand how the petrodollar works, when we hear about the fall of saddam and gadaffi we hear the bull that the western media feed us! But their is a way bigger story to why these leaders and their countries fell and thats why the petrodollar needs to end.
Russia and china are being slammed because of their calls for the US dollar to end as a world reserve and their (especially russia) plans to ban dollars and the depending if it to trade. They know the dollar will eventually end its domance and if economy’s around the world don’t prepare they will crash with the dollars eventual end.
China is thought to have the biggest stock of gold, they also own the biggest percentage of American dept. By all right the yen should be a world currency because they can backup their dept, don’t see why the world should suffer economic disaster because the US wants the dollar as a world reserve.
No doubt we will see more sabotage and sanctions put on countries that threaten the dollars role in the world, I suspect Russia, china and the US will enter a eco war to change things. I also think the free trade with Europe is too little too late and will impact Europe in a negative way when the dollar falls from glory.
People have different theories on this and rightfully so, thats just mine.
I love them and have shares :) they make me money and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.
JP Morgan, only outdone for cheating, manipulating and stealing, by Goldman Sachs.
A book well worth reading : Money and power : How Goldman Sachs came to rule the world.
“From the outside, Goldman Sachs is a perfect company. The Goldman PR machine loudly declares it to be smarter, more ethical, and more profitable than all of its competitors. Behind closed doors, however, ! etc, etc”
Author , William Cohen worked on Wall Street for 17 years.
JPM
S C U M of the earth
Just check out the total in fines over just the last few years, for FRAUD and market manipulation.
What did they expect ??
A group hug ?
#fail
A rake?
What’s the conversion rate for the rake? How many rakes to the pile?
Shouldnt bother interacting with the nobody keyboard warriors. Don’t interact with those beneath you they are simply inferior and worthless
Well done Kenneth posted like a real “keyboard warrior”
have your say