Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he last met the Australian ambassador to Ireland; and when he is next scheduled to meet the ambassador. [48320/23]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he last met the New Zealand ambassador to Ireland; and when he is next scheduled to meet the ambassador. [48321/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 123 together.

I met Ambassador Mallard of New Zealand and Ambassador Gray of Australia on 27 June. Both Ambassadors and their teams are in regular contact with my Department on a range of issues including follow up to bilateral consultations held with each country earlier this year. As set out in the recently relaunched Asia Pacific Strategy, the Government is committed to strengthening Ireland’s relations with Australia and New Zealand, building on already close political, economic and people-to-people ties.