Mr Valery Kurdyukov, Minister Counsellor to the Belarusian Ambassador in London met with Minister Michael Martin and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health & Children in Dublin yesterday to discuss an Inter-Governmental Agreement to allow children from the Chernobyl regions to travel internationally. This Agreement is on the table for negotiations and is seen as urgent priority. Irish officials are also seeking an exemption to the ban for Ireland to allow children to travel for Christmas Rest & Recuperation. Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) has been lobbying to ensure the long-term security of children’s right to travel, by seeking an exemption to the ban and a signed Inter-governmental Agreement between Ireland and Belarus. Every year, close to 50,000 children from Belarus travel to all corners of the globe for Rest & Recuperation.

Adi Roche appealed earlier this week to Minister Michael Martin to seek an exemption to the ban for Ireland. Since then, the Minister has instructed Mr. Justin Harmon, Ireland’s Ambassador to Moscow to travel to Minsk and meet with senior officials in the Belarusian Administration to raise the issue further. Adi Roche said today 'It would absolutely break our hearts to even think that the most vulnerable and fragile children could not travel to Ireland for recuperation. I cannot thank Minister Martin and his officials enough for working non-stop to have the ban reversed and put an Inter-governmental Agreement document on the table. We are so proud of the Irish people who have acted with one voice to have the travel ban on children's travel lifted'.