Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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115. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his recent trip to the United States of America and the meetings he had there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11336/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I travelled to the United States between 20-23 February last, visiting New York and Washington DC, where I engaged in an extensive programme of events which involved UN, Irish community and bilateral elements. My programme at the United Nations was focused around Ireland’s candidacy for election to the UN Security Council in 2020. It included meetings with representatives of the UN Secretariat, the International Peace Institute, UN Member States and the network of Irish staff members of the United Nations.The meetings provided a good opportunity to discuss a range of issues, including developments relating to the UN Secretary-General’s reform proposals and Irish priority policy areas, including peacebuilding, as well as to hear from representatives of other Member States on the wide number of policy issues of direct concern to them.

I also had the opportunity to speak at Columbia University on Ireland’s response to the challenges posed by Brexit, and at Cooperation Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement 20^thanniversary event in New York.

On the Washington D.C. leg of my programme, my key meeting was with then-US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. Amongst the topics which we discussed in the course of a wide-ranging discussion were the plight of undocumented Irish citizens living in the United States, the appointment of a new US ambassador to Ireland, the situation in the Middle-East, the situation in Northern Ireland, including the possible appointment of a US Special Envoy and developments on Brexit.

In Washington DC, I also met with White House Senior Adviser, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, Special Representative for International Negotiations, with White House foreign policy adviser Fiona Hill and with Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen.