Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 May 2026
162. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of occasions in 2025 and to date in 2026 where the Irish ambassador in Kuala Lumpur has met formally with the Malaysian Foreign Minister, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38614/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to further deepening and strengthening the good bilateral ties between Ireland and Malaysia. The Irish Ambassador to Malaysia and the Embassy team are in regular touch with Government Ministries in Malaysia, including on behalf of other Government Departments. The Irish Ambassador engages with Malaysian Ministers, both formally and informally; most recently, she discussed the bilateral relationship with the Minister for Finance at an event earlier this month. The Malaysian Embassy to Ireland also has regular contact with my officials. There have been no meetings between the Irish Ambassador to Malaysia and the Malaysian Foreign Minister in 2025, or to-date in 2026.
An important aspect of our diplomatic engagement with Malaysia is regular bilateral consultations, which allow for comprehensive discussion of the bilateral relationship and issues of mutual concern. The last such consultations with Malaysia took place in November 2024 in Malaysia, at Director General level, and involved senior Malaysian counterparts from a number of key Ministries. Arrangements for the next round of bilateral consultations in Dublin are under consideration.
Ireland also has significant engagement with Malaysia though our state agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, whose Education lead for the region works from the same premises as the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, with close support from my staff on matters including deepening linkages between Irish and Malaysian universities, and more systematic engagement with the thousands of Malaysian alumni of Irish Institutions of Higher Education. Ireland's trade with Malaysia is showing a positive pattern of growth, with particularly encouraging figures so far in 2026.
Ireland also regularly engages with Malaysia at the UN and through our regional groupings of the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The most recent EU-ASEAN Ministerial meeting in Brunei in April this year agreed a Joint Ministerial Statement which addresses the full range of issues facing both regions, including trade, preserving the rules-based international order and upholding multilateralism, energy security and climate change, digitalisation and maritime security.
