Secretary-General's press encounter with Radio Telefís Éireann [following a meeting with Dermot Ahern, Foreign Minister of Ireland, and brief remarks at a luncheon celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ireland's membership of the UN]

SG: I think Ireland has a lot to offer. We are dealing with issues that Ireland knows a lot about. Today we discussed the sense of compromise, we discussed conflict prevention. Ireland, through its own experience, understands the need for that and what one needs to go through to prevent conflict.

Today, one of the most important issues on the world agenda is migration, and Ireland has a solid experience from its own history in understanding about that particular phenomenon. And of course, in the whole area of collective security, helping bring stability to troubled lands. As you heard me say earlier, Ireland is there with us on the ground in Liberia, one of the few western countries serving in that operation. And we are forever grateful to them. And they come with skills. They come with skills that are not easily found elsewhere, or are not easily available. So we really appreciate all the contribution that Ireland makes to our work.

Q: And can Ireland have an influence, given the fact that it is a small country?

SG: Oh, absolutely. You don't have to be a big country. You can make contributions in many forms. In the forms of cash, in the forms of military contributions, but also intellectual contributions, with ideas, and the ability to work across national boundaries, to be able to get others to listen to you in an unthreatening way. The size of Ireland and its experience allows it to do that –it can reach out to every country without anyone being threatened, and they are listened to.