Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2023
79. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider opening a full-time resident Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4402/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I travelled to Lebanon last week. While there I met with both the Lebanese Foreign and Defence Ministers. I also met with UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix who is currently in the region.
I visited our UNIFIL contingent in Camp Shamrock and conveyed my sympathies and those of the government to the colleagues of Private Rooney. I also laid a wreath at the Tebnine monument in honour of all the Irish personnel who have died while serving with UNIFIL, including Private Rooney.
The Government does not currently have plans to open an Embassy in Beirut. The Embassy of Ireland in Cairo is accredited to Lebanon. Ireland has an Honorary Consul General based in Beirut.
Ireland’s global impact and diplomatic network has been strengthened by the Global Ireland Programme, which was launched in 2018. The Global Ireland programme aims to double Ireland's international impact and influence in the period 2018 to 2025, including through an expanded and strengthened diplomatic presence. Since the launch of the Global Ireland programme, 19 new Missions have been opened or announced to open. In 2019 a new Embassy was opened in Amman, Jordan, and in 2021 a new Embassy was opened in Rabat, Morocco, expanding our diplomatic presence in the Middle East and complementing the presence of existing embassies in Cairo, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, as well as a representative office in Ramallah. There are also Honorary Consuls based in Manama, Alexandria, Damascus, and Muscat.
Any decision on the opening of a new embassy is considered by reference to Ireland’s national, political and economic priorities. Against these and other factors, the Government keeps the matter of opening further embassies under active review.
