Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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423. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there are plans to open an Irish consular office in Bangladesh. [52544/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Our network of diplomatic missions in Asia is kept under constant review, in the context of commitments set out in the Programme for Government, in Global Ireland 2025 and in our Asia-Pacific Strategy.

In Asia, we have opened a Consulate-General in Mumbai and a new Embassy in Manila will open very soon. However, at present there are no plans to open either a new Consulate General or Embassy in Bangladesh.

Our network of Honorary Consuls is reviewed regularly and the possibility of appointing Honorary Consul in Bangladesh is being kept under consideration. Decisions on the appointment of an Honorary Consuls take into account factors such as the Department's objective to provide consular services and/or assistance to Irish citizens, the need to support local Irish community efforts and to assist in developing trade and economic relations with the country or region.