Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 6

Written Answers. - Embassy in Turkey.

Seán Power

Ceist:

89 Mr. Power asked the asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will consider expediting the opening of an embassy in Turkey in view of the establishment of the customs union between the EU and Turkey and the major involvement of Turkey in the Cyprus issue. [

Tanáiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

Our Embassy in Rome is accredited to Turkey on a non-resident basis. We also have an Honorary Consul in Istanbul. The fact that we do not have a resident mission there has not precluded the development of open relations and dialogue between our two countries.

Ireland's resident diplomatic network is small and, because of resource constraints, is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Because of limited resources I do not foresee the possibility of being able to open an embassy in Turkey in the immediate future.

However, the size and spread of our Embassy network is kept under constant review.