Talks between representatives from the Irish Fishing Industry and the Russian Ambassador have been described as "extremely positive".
The two sides met this morning so that fishermen could raise their concerns over the impact Russian Navy drills may have on their sector, when they get underway next week.
MCK29Y The Russian ambassador to Ireland Yury Filatov holds a media briefing on the situation in Syria at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Dublin.A "buffer zone" is being considered, so both trawlers and military boats can co-exist.
Update: Fishing Industry reps say they’re extremely happy with how the meeting went and that the Russian Navy and Irish Trawlers have “agreed to coexist”. A buffer zone is being considered to make sure they’ve an “absolute guarantee” the industry isn’t effected by military drills https://t.co/MlWAloSWcC
— Mairéad Cleary (@maireadcleary7) January 27, 2022
CEO of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association Brendan Byrne says progress was made:
"It's easy to operate a buffer zone if there's an understanding between both parties.
"Again, there's a vast area earmarked for this naval exercise - there's a vast area where we would be traditionally fishing in.
"When we now have an agreement of understanding of coexistence, the technical issues and technicalities of this can be worked out on a one-to-one."
