Vol. 433 No. 1
108 Mr. Barry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of resident Irish Ambassadors in Africa; his views on whether these are in the most suitable locations; and his views on moving one embassy to Pretoria to allow it to serve all the Southern African countries.
109 Mr. Barry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when it is proposed to establish diplomatic relations with South Africa.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 109 together.
There are two resident Irish Ambassadors in Africa, in Cairo and Lagos. The Ambassador in Cairo is accredited on a non-resident basis to the Sudan and to Tanzania. The Ambassador in Lagos is accredited on a non-resident basis to Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Egypt and Nigeria are countries of major importance in their respective subregions and in Africa. I believe it is important to be diplomatically represented in both countries in order to foster closer relations and thereby advance Ireland's political, economic and other interests.
