DUBLIN: Ireland said Wednesday it plans to buy a multi-million euro military radar system from France as it prepares to host the rotating EU presidency next year amid concerns over its defense capability.
The EU member “will now immediately commence detailed negotiations with France on a potential agreement” following cabinet approval, said a statement on the government website.
A government-level approach with one country was “the only feasible way for Ireland to develop the required radar capabilities,” it said.
“This approach guarantees the use of the experience and knowledge of a trusted partner country which cannot be provided through any other option,” it said.
Media reports estimate the cost of the new “Military Radar Programme” (MRP) system at between 300 and 500 million euros ($350-$585 million).
The move comes after several unidentified drones blamed on pro-Russian actors were spotted off the Irish coast near Dublin around the time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the Irish capital for a one-day visit earlier this month.
The incident emerged in a local media report only after Zelensky had left Ireland, sparking doubts over its defense capability.
The militarily neutral country which will host EU leaders summit meetings when it takes over the six-month bloc presidency in July next year maintains a small army and has no combat air force or large naval fleet.
The government is also “in final negotiations to conclude a contract before the end of the year” to provide counter-drone technology in advance of the EU presidency, Defense Minister Helen McEntee said in a statement on Wednesday.
“My department will work with the (Irish) Defense Forces to ensure that they have the capacity to identify and neutralize threats posed by drones,” she said.
Ireland moves to buy military radar system from France
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Ireland moves to buy military radar system from France
- The EU member “will now immediately commence detailed negotiations with France on a potential agreement“
- Media reports estimate the cost of the new MRP system at $350-$585 million
Cuba says a 5th person died after people on a Florida-flagged speedboat opened fire on soldiers
- Authorities in Cuba said that on Feb. 26 Cuban soldiers confronted a speedboat carrying 10 people as the vessel approached the island and opened fire on the troops
- The shooting threatened to increase tensions between US President Donald Trump and Cuban authorities
HAVANA: Cuba said a fifth person has died as a consequence of a fatal shootout last month involving a Florida-flagged speedboat that allegedly opened fire on soldiers in waters off the island nation’s north coast.
The island’s interior ministry said late Thursday in a statement that Roberto Álvarez Ávila died on March 4 as a result of his injuries. It added that the remaining injured detainees “continue to receive specialized medical care according to their health status.”
Authorities in Cuba said that on Feb. 26 Cuban soldiers confronted a speedboat carrying 10 people as the vessel approached the island and opened fire on the troops. They said the passengers were armed Cubans living in the US who were trying to infiltrate the island and “unleash terrorism”. Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others.
“The statements made by the detainees themselves, together with a series of investigative procedures, reinforce the evidence against them,” the Cuban interior ministry said in its statement, adding that “new elements are being obtained that establish the involvement of other individuals based in the US”
Earlier this week, Cuba said it had filed terrorism charges against six suspects that were on the speedboat. The government unveiled items said to have been found on the boat, including a dozen high-powered weapons, more than 12,800 pieces of ammunition and 11 pistols.
Cuban authorities have provided few details about the shooting, but said the boat was roughly 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) northeast of Cayo Falcones, off the country’s north coast. They also provided the boat’s registration number, but The Associated Press was unable to readily verify the details because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.
The shooting threatened to increase tensions between US President Donald Trump and Cuban authorities. The island’s economy was until recently largely kept economically afloat by Venezuela’s oil, which is now in doubt after a US military operation deposed then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
