Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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53.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his engagements with the government of the Philippines in the past 12 months. [25101/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland’s bilateral ties with the Philippines are strong and growing, aided by the establishment of the Irish Embassy in Manila in November 2021 as part of the Global Ireland programme. Diplomatic relations were established in 1984 and this year Ireland and the Philippines celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations. The Embassy of the Philippines in London is accredited to Ireland and my Department is in regular contact with Embassy officials. In October 2023, the Government granted permission for the Philippines to open a resident Embassy in Dublin and preparations are ongoing.

Ireland regularly engages with the Philippines through both bilateral and multilateral fora.

In February, the Minister of State in my Department with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora, Seán Fleming T.D., attended the EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Brussels which was co-chaired by Foreign Minister of the Philippines, H.E. Mr. Enrique Manalo, alongside HR/VP Borrell. This meeting resulted in a Joint Ministerial Statement addressing a wide range of issues including EU-ASEAN cooperation, trade, climate and emissions, and human rights.

In November 2023, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Martin Heydon T.D., led a Ministerial Trade Mission to the Philippines. The objective of this successful visit was to consolidate, expand and further diversify our exports of Irish agri-food produce to the Philippines which is already an important market for Irish beef and pigmeat exports. The Minister of State also met the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, H.E Minister Pascual, for a discussion on trade, agri-food cooperation and knowledge transfer.

My Department regularly engages with the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. On 31 May, Bilateral Consultations were held at senior-official level in Dublin. A wide range of topics were discussed, including the economy, trade, diaspora issues, health, education, human rights, peacebuilding and a range of foreign policy issues.