Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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147. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the level of engagement he has had with Bahrain in the past two years; the nature of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17941/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland and Bahrain enjoy good bilateral relations, and there are significant links between the two countries, particularly in the medical field. I met with the former Foreign Minister of Bahrain at the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2019. In May 2020, I spoke on the phone with the current Foreign Minister of Bahrain.

Our discussions on both occasions covered a number of issues, including the Middle East Peace Process, the situation in Yemen, and ongoing tensions in the Gulf region, as well as our bilateral links.

I also made a point of raising the human rights situation in Bahrain directly with the former Foreign Minister, expressing the hope that Ireland and Bahrain can have an open and honest discussion on these issues. Ireland also raises our concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain through multilateral fora, including through our active participation at the UN Human Rights Council.

In addition to my conversations with the Foreign Minister, my officials regularly meet with the Bahraini authorities to discuss the full range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including human rights. Discussions took place most recently this week at senior official level, with the Ambassador of Bahrain to Ireland.

Ireland will continue to develop our bilateral relationship with Bahrain, including through ongoing dialogue on human rights issues.