Alan Kelly
Question:125. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to deepen Ireland's diplomatic presence in both Singapore and Malaysia. [28938/24]
View answerThursday, 4 July 2024
Questions (125)
Written answers
Ireland has longstanding ties with Singapore and Malaysia and this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with both countries. In line with the Government’s Asia Pacific Strategy, my Department aims to deepen its engagement with countries in South East Asia, including Malaysia and Singapore. In this context, an additional posted staff member was assigned to Ireland’s Embassy in Singapore and our Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in the last 12 months.
In the 50 years since diplomatic relations were established, the relationship between Ireland and Singapore has developed significantly. Ireland opened a resident embassy in Singapore in 2000 which now forms part of a strong Team Ireland presence, comprising Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. These State Agencies are co-located in the new Ireland House, which opened this year, signifying the potential we see in our relationship with Singapore. Officials in my Department are in regular communication with the High Commission of the Republic of Singapore in London, which is accredited to Ireland.
In March of this year, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD travelled to Singapore to mark St. Patrick’s Day. In November 2023, Minister of State Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD visited Singapore as part of an Enterprise Ireland trade mission. In July 2022, as Taoiseach, I visited Singapore and met with then-Prime Minister Lee and Deputy Prime Minister Wong, now Prime Minister. In January 2024, Singapore’s Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung visited Ireland and met with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister of State Dara Calleary.
The Irish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur opened in 1995 and Malaysia’s Embassy in Dublin opened in 2001. Ireland also has significant engagement with Malaysia though our state agencies. In 2021, Enterprise Ireland placed a full-time Education in Ireland representative in Kuala Lumpur, co-locating with the Embassy. Malaysia is a priority market for Bord Bia, which operates in South East Asia from its office in Singapore.
In November 2023, Minister of State Martin Heydon visited Malaysia as part of a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Bord Bia trade mission. Minister of State Niall Collins visited Malaysia for St. Patrick’s Day in 2023.