Louise O'Reilly
Question:34. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to open a new Irish Consulate General office in Doha, Qatar. [6379/20]
View answerWednesday, 20 May 2020
Questions (34)
Written answers
Ireland enjoys excellent relations with Qatar, with the Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi being accredited to Qatar on a non-residential basis. While travel between Abu Dhabi and Doha has become more complex in recent years, the Ambassador of Ireland in Abu Dhabi continues to visit Qatar regularly in support of our broad policy objectives, including the development of political and trade relations and supporting the needs of Irish businesses and the wider Irish community.
The Embassy in Abu Dhabi has also put in place a system of pre-scheduled visits to Qatar approximately every eight weeks to provide consular services to the Irish community, although obviously in the current situation those services have to be provided virtually for the time being.
In considering the expansion of our diplomatic representations overseas, a range of factors are taken into account, including our national political, economic, and trade priorities, as well as availability of resources. There are no immediate plans to open an Embassy in Qatar.