Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs If he will give details of all recent discussions he has held with Baroness Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union [36113/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Cathy Ashton was appointed as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in December last year. Since that time, I have met the High Representative regularly, including at meetings of the monthly Foreign Affairs Council and at informal 'Gymnich' meetings of EU Foreign Ministers. I have also spoken with HR Ashton directly by telephone on a number of issues of importance to Ireland and officials from my Department are in regular contact with her Office. Most recently, I met HR Ashton at the Gymnich meeting in Brussels on 10 – 11 September, which focussed on the EU's relations with its strategic partners, the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan and the EU's cooperation on foreign policy with Turkey. HR Ashton then attended the European Council on 16 September for a session focussed on EU strategic relations, which built on discussions at the Gymnich. I accompanied the Taoiseach to the Council meeting, and participated in that session.

In addition, I was in New York for Ministerial week at the UN General Assembly last month, and met HR Ashton on several occasions, including in the context of EU-US and EU-Russia Ministerial meetings.