It was inevitable that difficulties in the euro zone "could not be ringfenced to Ireland" Minister for Energy Pat Rabbitte said today.
Mr Rabbitte said the debt crisis had exposed "fault lines in the euro zone project" which called for a greater commitment to solve the crisis on the part of the 17 members of the area.
However he said he did not want to imply he was surprised by the situation which let to resignation of Portugal's prime minister last night.
"To be honest I am not [surprised], I felt it was inevitable. I just hope it gives added impetus to the member states to address the issues," he said.
The resignation of Portugal's prime minister Jose Socrates came after parliament rejected his government's latest austerity measures aimed at avoiding the need for financial bailout similar to that given to Ireland.
Mr Rabbitte said the crisis in Portugal "confirms for me that what we are dealing with here is a euro zone crisis and not merely difficulties in Ireland".
"There is no doubt we have a banking crisis in Ireland but there is a wider euro zone issue that will require a euro zone approach by the euro zone countries. I hope that Portugal will have brought that message home to all of our partners" he said.
Asked if the difficulties in Portugal would make it easier for Ireland to progress efforts to find a broadly based solution, Mr Rabbitte said: "The one word which is not appropriate in the circumstances in which we find ourselves is easy or easier."
However while the crisis did expose fault lines in the euro zone project they were "fault lines that can be overcome given the commitment of the 17 countries", he said.
