Sorca Clarke
Question:335. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he met with his New Zealand counterpart during the recent UN General Assembly week. [48242/22]
View answerTuesday, 4 October 2022
Questions (335)
Written answers
Ireland and New Zealand enjoy close diplomatic relations and our Embassies are engaged in a range of activities to deepen our engagement. In April 2021 we held wide-ranging bilateral consultations, with agreed areas of follow up, to further strengthen cooperation in a number of areas, including agriculture. In October 2021, Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor visited and signed a Statement on Joint Cooperation in Agriculture between Ireland and New Zealand at a meeting with Minister Charlie McConalogue. We also work closely with New Zealand in multilateral fora, at the UN and beyond. New Zealand was a strong supporter of our successful UN Security Council election bid.
While I did not meet bilaterally with Foreign Minister Mahuta at the UN General Assembly this month, members of the cabinet have held a number of meetings with the government of New Zealand this year, reflective of our close friendship. The Taoiseach had a phone call with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in June, the Tánaiste met Minister Damien O'Connor in the margins of the World Trade Organisation Conference in Geneva that same month. Minister Poto Williams, who has responsibility for Disability issues and Children, visited in August and met with Minister of State Noonan.