Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:73. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which she is promoting diplomatic and trade relations with Barbados. [68995/26]
View answerThursday, 1 October 2026
Questions (73)
Written answers
Ireland is committed to promoting its diplomatic and trade relations with Barbados, including in the context of our EU Presidency.
Under our Second Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean we opened Ireland’s Office for the Caribbean, based in Miami in 2024. The Office works to strengthen diplomatic, trade, and cultural links with the Caribbean and Barbados. Ireland’s first Ambassador to Barbados, accredited from Washington, presented credentials to the President of Barbados in June 2024. Barbados established an Embassy in Dublin in 2024, which was officially opened during the visit of Prime Minister Mia Mottley in May this year. Prime Minister Mottley met President Connolly and the Taoiseach during her visit which was an important signal of the growing relationship between our islands.
Barbados was also a central part of our Ireland-Latin America and Caribbean Trade Horizons Forum, a high-level trade promotion event co-hosted by my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in May. The Foreign Minister of Barbados was the keynote speaker and a delegation from Invest Barbados also participated. During the event, a Memorandum of Understanding on an Air Services Agreement with Barbados was exchanged. Ireland continues to promote trade with Barbados, and will support the ‘Invest Barbados’ Ireland Investment event in Barbados in November this year. Bilateral trade with Barbados has increased significantly over the past five years with a mutual commitment to further economic growth.
Ireland also maintains relations with Barbados as a Small Island Developing State. In 2026, Irish Aid launched a €250,000 project with the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA), based in Barbados to focus on capacity building for disaster risk management.
As Ireland begins preparations for its next Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, we look forward to building on the close partnership we have with Barbados and the region.