Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Türkiye is an important regional partner, and a candidate country for EU membership, with which Ireland continues to maintain a productive relationship across the full range of our shared priorities.

While I do not currently have any plans to visit to Türkiye during 2024, Ireland continues to engage both bilaterally and multilaterally with our Turkish counterparts, at all levels.

Most recently, I met with my Turkish counterpart Foreign Minister Fidan in the margins of the 8th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona, in November 2023, during which we discussed the situation in Gaza.

I also met with Foreign Minister Fidan in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023, where we discussed the close bilateral relations that our countries enjoy. I also recalled that Türkiye is an important partner for the EU, while further reiterating our wish to see progress on key fundamentals such as sanctions circumvention, and compliance with rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

Ireland’s relationship with Türkiye is rich and multifaceted. Given the wider geopolitical context, and recent domestic developments, it is in the interests of Ireland, the EU and Türkiye that we have a positive and productive relationship, and that we continue to engage with one another in a spirit of cooperation and partnership.