Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 October 2018
154. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to have a bilateral meeting with his Greek counterpart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39746/18]
View answerForeign Ministers of all EU Member States meet on a regular basis at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. These meetings provide me with an invaluable opportunity to engage with all of my counterparts, including Minister Kotzias, and to discuss a broad range of issues. At present, no specific bilateral meetings are planned with my Greek counterpart.
This year, there has been a significant level of bilateral engagement between Ireland and Greece in terms of high-level visits, beginning with the State Visit in February, when President Higgins and Sabina Higgins travelled to Greece and met with the Greek President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, among others. The Taoiseach met Prime Minister Tsipras during the summer in Greece, and we have also welcomed two current Greek Ministers to Dublin – Mr. George Katrougalos, Greek Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Terens-Nikolaos Quick, Deputy Foreign Minister - both of whom attended a number of engagements and meetings, including with Minister McEntee and Minister Cannon respectively. Then-Minister for the Arts, Ms. Lydia Koniordou, also visited Ireland for the Kilkenny Arts Festival in mid-August.
The Embassy of Ireland in Athens also continues to work hard on a daily basis to strengthen our already strong bilateral relations and engage with the Greek administration on a wide variety of issues.
