Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken with the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22389/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Diplomatic relations were established between Ireland and Spain in August 1935, and bilateral relations between Spain and Ireland are strong. The current Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, Ambassador Ion de la Riva, has been in post since October 2022. He succeeded Ambassador Ildefonso Castro, who served in Ireland from 2018.

While I have not had any formal bilateral meetings with the Ambassador so far this year, my officials regularly engage with the Ambassador and his Embassy colleagues on a range of EU and other issues including in respect of the forthcoming Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2023. A number of Ministerial visits to Spain have also taken place this year and the Taoiseach also welcomed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Dublin on 2 March 2023.