Paul Donnelly
Question:120. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he plans to invite his Australian counterpart to Dublin later in 2023. [18960/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 April 2023
Questions (120)
Written answers
I exchanged letters with Foreign Minister Wong in January of this year, following my appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and extended an invitation to her to visit Ireland. A visit by Foreign Minister Wong, when her schedule permits, would be most welcome and would offer an opportunity to continue the close dialogue between Ireland and Australia.
Ireland and Australia have enjoyed close diplomatic relations for over 75 years and our Embassies are engaged in a range of activities to deepen our engagement, given that we share values and a common outlook on many global issues. Ireland works closely with Australia in multilateral fora, at the UN and beyond.
Members of the Cabinet have held a number of meetings with the government of Australia at both federal and state level, reflecting our close friendship. This March, as part of the St Patrick’s Day programme, Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment undertook a five city visit to Australia, where he visited Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, with political engagement, trade and investment promotion, community events and media encounters. During his visit, Minister Coveney met with Prime Minister Albanese as well as Minister for Trade Farrell. In February of this year, senior officials in my department held bilateral consultations in Canberra, to discuss Ireland-Australia relations and areas of bilateral engagement.