Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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257. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of relations between Ireland and Armenia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46404/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Republic of Armenia were established in 1996.

The Irish Ambassador to Bulgaria, Martina Feeney, is accredited to Armenia on a non-resident basis and presented her credentials in October 2021. Varuzhan Nersesyan was appointed as Ambassador to Ireland, also on a non-resident basis, in July 2021. Ireland’s Honorary Consul in Armenia since 2010 has been Jonathan Stark, while the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Ireland since 2008 is Orhan Yergainharsian.

The Irish community in Armenia is very small, consisting of about 20-25 citizens, many of whom left in 2020 due to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that a few hundred people of Armenian descent may live in Ireland.

In terms of bilateral meetings, the most recent at a leadership level was in May 2022, when I met with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the margins of the 132nd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in Turin. There are also regular contacts at an official level.

There are a number of academic and private sector links between the two countries, and some trade links. I refer the Deputy to the Central Statistics Office for further details on Ireland's trade with Armenia. Irish Aid has provided support to a number of non-governmental organisations for projects in Armenia over the years.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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258. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of relations between Ireland and Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46405/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In line with the United Nations’ designation, Ireland recognises Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, which is defined under Chapter XI of the United Nations charter as a territory “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government”. Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1963.

Ireland’s long-standing position on Western Sahara is one of full support for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the UN-led process, and the UN Secretary General’s efforts to bring about a definitive and mutually acceptable political settlement.

Ireland wholeheartedly supports United Nations Security Council Resolution 2602 on self-determination for the people of Western Sahara. We do not have a view on the outcome of a decision regarding the future of the territory, so long as it is decided peacefully and in a genuine exercise of self-determination.