Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 June 2021
127. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the process and criteria for expelling an ambassador; if he has considered expelling any nation's ambassador since 2010; and if so, the details of same. [29900/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraDiplomatic relations between States, and the exchange of Ambassadors among States, are addressed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, as transposed into Irish law by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967.
Article 9 of the Convention allows for the receiving State to notify the sending State that the Ambassador, or any member of the diplomatic staff, is persona non grata. In such cases the sending State shall recall the person concerned. Diplomats are rarely expelled and this provision is rarely used, but it provides a potential sanction, in particular in response to illicit activities by members of diplomatic Missions. The expulsion of an Ambassador, for reasons other than abuse of diplomatic functions or criminal behaviour, would likely lead to a reciprocal expulsion of the Irish Ambassador to the State concerned, and could potentially give rise to the breaking off of diplomatic relations.
Our Embassies overseas are drivers of our bilateral relations, enabling us to maintain open lines of international communication, enabling the conveyance of concerns directly to Governments, including in difficult circumstances. In Ireland, Ambassadors and other officials of Embassies frequently engage with officials from my Department on a wide range of issues. I frequently meet with Ambassadors accredited to Ireland. Such exchanges are a key channel of communication between the Irish Government and foreign Governments.
