Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

37.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken with the United States Secretary of State in the past three months. [31676/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ongoing, high-level political engagement with the United States is a priority for the Government and a key objective under Ireland's 'Strategy for the US and Canada 2019–2025'.

My last bilateral exchange with Secretary Blinken was at the time of President Biden's visit to Ireland in April 2023, during which we discussed foreign policy matters of shared interest and concern. Before and since, there has been regular engagement between our respective administrations on a range of foreign and security policy matters through our respective diplomatic missions in Washington and Dublin, including on Ukraine, the Middle East and the United Nations.

I most recently visited Washington DC in February of this year for a series of political engagements, which included a meeting with the Deputy National Security Advisor, Jon Finer and a joint event with USAID Administrator, Samantha Power to showcase Ireland’s partnerships with USAID. I attended an engagement with members of the bipartisan Congressional Friends of Ireland caucus, and had individual meetings with Senators Chuck Schumer, Chris Murphy, Jon Ossoff and Lindsey Graham, as well as Democratic Minority Whip Katherine Clark.

In my role as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I am currently scheduled to travel to the United States for a series of engagements during the annual High Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly, which will open on Tuesday 24 September 2024. Along with engaging with leaders from around the world at the UN, the visit will provide an opportunity to meet with key US political interlocutors and engage with representatives from the Irish community in the US.