Cormac Devlin
Question:48. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress being made in the Nordic Strategy. [56488/21]
View answerThursday, 18 November 2021
Questions (48)
Written answers
I launched the “Global Ireland: A Strategy for the Nordic Region to 2025” in June 2021. This Strategy is a whole of Government approach to our engagement with the Nordic region, which encompasses Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The Nordic region is one with which Ireland has long-standing ties and shares similar values in the areas of peace, security and in our joint attachment to a rules-based international order. This is currently well reflected in our close cooperation with Norway as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the period 2021-22. The Nordic Strategy reflects Ireland’s goal of increasing our engagement with the Nordic states through deepening cooperation in trade, tourism, education, science and culture.
Following the launch of the Strategy, officials in my Department have been engaging with stakeholders in other Departments, State agencies, and our diplomatic missions in the Nordic region, as well as Nordic diplomatic missions accredited to Ireland to draft actions to fulfil the commitments of the Strategy. This work will be completed shortly. The Nordic Strategy will require close collaboration with the five Nordic governments. My officials are in close contact with relevant counterparts. The Nordic Strategy was welcomed by the Nordic Governments with great enthusiasm and senior Nordic Government representatives participated in the launch of the Strategy on 2 June.
My Department is already implementing commitments from the Strategy including jointly hosting the next Ireland/Nordic-Baltic 8 conference in December with the involvement of the Nordic and Baltic embassies based in Dublin. We have also initiated a programme of ministerial and official engagements with our Nordic counterparts. I also wish to acknowledge the recent and very welcome decision by the Government of Sweden to re-open its resident Embassy in Dublin, which was closed in 2010. This will be an additional resource for engagement with a key Nordic partner and will assist us in driving forward the Nordic Strategy in the years ahead.