Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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352. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken with the Irish ambassador to Indonesia (details supplied) in the past six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50073/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has enjoyed excellent bilateral relations with Indonesia ever since relations were formally established in 1984, and further deepened with the opening of our resident Embassy in Jakarta in 2014.

As ASEAN’s largest economy, Indonesia has significant economic potential for Ireland. The key sectors of interest are food and food ingredients, aviation services, software, medical devices, tourism and education. A small but growing number of Irish firms are operating in Indonesia.

There is almost daily communication between Department officials in Headquarters with the Mission and with our Ambassador to Indonesia. I am kept fully informed of the Embassy's work by my officials. Formal bilateral consultations, at official level, will take place later this month.

Although I have not met directly with our Ambassador this year, last April we both attended the first in-person Heads of Mission conference since the Covid pandemic. The conference was a wonderful opportunity for us to renew in-person engagement with Ireland's Ambassadors and Consul Generals from around the world.

Now that international travel has again re-opened, I look forward further opportunities for political engagement with Indonesia, which is critical to the maintenance of our strong bilateral relations.