Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Irish involvement in peacekeeping and military operations abroad forms a huge part of his ambition for the State to double its global footprint over the next decade. Mr Varadkar was speaking in Mali on Sunday night during the first day of a week-long visit to Africa. He met the 20-strong contingent of personnel from the Irish Defence Forces who are serving in the vast West Africa country, which has been beset by factional conflict, and by Islamist extremism, over the past decade. “Everything that happens in the world affects us in Ireland and that’s why we need to be part of the world. The view was echoed by the Defence Forces chief of staff Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, who is also on the visit to Mali.

Source: The Irish Times January 06, 2019 21:11 UTC