Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
29. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken formally to his New Zealand or Australian counterpart in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10230/20]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, Ireland has strong bonds with both New Zealand and Australia, founded on shared values and on the vibrant Irish communities in both countries.
I recently sent letters to my counterparts in Australia and New Zealand, Ministers Marise Payne and Winston Peters respectively, conveying our solidarity with the victims of the pandemic in their countries, and outlining Ireland’s response, as well as seeking to deepen bilateral and multilateral engagement with both countries. I had the pleasure of welcoming Minister Peters to Dublin in 2018 when he formally opened the Embassy of New Zealand here.
I wish to assure the Deputy that there have been close and frequent contacts at all levels with both Australia and New Zealand, especially following the State Visits of President Higgins to both countries in 2017. To mention just the most recent contacts, the Taoiseach wrote to Prime Minister Morrison to offer Ireland's support and condolences during the devastating bushfires in Australia earlier this year. Prime Minister Morrison responded to thank the Taoiseach and the people of Ireland. Minister Ciarán Cannon visited both New Zealand and Australia in June 2019 and Minister Jim Daly visited Brisbane in October 2019. New Zealand’s Trade Minister, David Parker, visited Ireland last July while his colleague, Commerce Minister Kris Faafoi, visited us in May 2019. Senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade held political consultations with their Australian counterparts in Dublin in December 2019.
In my letters to my colleagues in New Zealand and Australia, I thanked both of them for the close cooperation in recent weeks with their respective authorities regarding COVID-19 and related issues of repatriation and support of citizens in each other's countries. These contacts were invaluable in assisting the Irish communities in both countries during the pandemic.
