The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has said President Michael D Higgins was "right" to mention the Middle East during his speech at the Holocaust commemoration in the Mansion House yesterday.
A number of Jewish attendees left the commemoration, and others were removed by security, after a protest over Mr Higgins' references to Gaza during his speech on the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.
Mr Harris told reporters in Brussels: "I think the President was very clear in relation to obviously specific issues regarding the Holocaust and his absolute condemnation of the horror, the murder of the Jewish people, but also, I think, rightly mentioning the situation in the Middle East as well but also calling very much for hostages to be released.
"I am conscious, though, that this is a very, very sensitive time, and I don't want to say anything to distract from that."
Mr Harris said: "I understand there was a small number of people who protested, and of course, people have a right to protest. But I think the President was very clear, as is the Government, as are the people of Ireland, in calling out the horrors of the Holocaust and making sure we remember, that we record that, that we acknowledge that each year, and of course, people have the right to protest."
Mr Harris said it was the seventh time that Mr Higgins had attended the event and that it was carried out with great solemnity and sensitivity.
"I believe yesterday's event was a very moving occasion, obviously, for survivors and their families," he said.
Mr Harris said he was "not sure" if the speech was vetted by the Department of Foreign Affairs before it was delivered.
Asked about US President Donald Trump's call for a "clear out" of the Gaza population to Egypt and Jordan, Mr Harris said that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas envisaged the return of Palestinians to their homes.
He paid tribute to Mr Trump’s contribution to the ceasefire.
"I acknowledge the very intensive work that the Trump administration put in in the days before President Trump assumed office.
"I think that was welcome, and I've no doubt that played a very significant role in helping to bring about a ceasefire, a ceasefire that has now seen the killing and the bombing stop, that has seen the aid flow and has seen hostages be released," he said.
Harris to bring forward plans for US trade consultative forum
The Minister said that in light of Mr Trump's stated goals of repatriating US investment, he would bring forward proposals to the Government next week to establish a new trade consultative forum to connect with US multinationals operating in Ireland.
He said it would be for companies investing in Ireland or were seeking to do so.
"It's really important we also listen carefully to what people who consider investing in Ireland are saying. And they're saying we need to see a greater investment in infrastructure, things like water, energy and housing. Showing them that we have a road map and a plan for that, as we do, and [have] prioritised in the Programme for Government, would be very good."
Mr Harris said Mr Trump was the democratically elected president of the United States of America and would decide the direction of the country for the next four years.
He said the EU should not be a multilateral organisation that simply talks about Mr Trump.
"We should also be one that talks about what we are going to do ourselves, and we are not just commentators on the outcomes of other people's elections.
"We are the European Union, and there are hundreds of millions of us. There are 27 countries, and we must now control what we can control."
He said it also meant engaging with Mr Trump in a way that he related to, about the benefits of doing business with the EU.
He said if you factored in services, the trade deficit between the US and EU looked differently.
He told reporters: "We can do business with the Trump administration. My country has done business with every US administration, and there'll be challenges, but we've got to control them."
He said he would be meeting the EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on the margins of the meeting of EU foreign ministers.
He said there had to be "early engagement between the EU and the US" and he welcomed the fact that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be invited to a meeting of EU foreign ministers soon.
