Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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49. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he plans to visit Germany during Quarter 4 this year. [36806/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Germany is a valued Partner with whom we have excellent bilateral relations. Our countries are engaged continuously in a range of high level political and official visits; including two that I took part in this year, in January to open Zeitgeist Irland 24 in Berlin, a year long celebration of Irish culture in Germany, and in February for the Munich Security Conference.

Last year we had 13 Ministerial visits to Germany reflecting the importance of our bilateral relationship and the Joint Plan of Action agreed between our two countries have been an extremely successful project leading to greater coordination and information sharing between our countries.

While at this time I have no plans to visit Germany during Quarter 4 of this year, I look forward to visiting Germany again in the future and I will ensure that we continue to engage with our German counterparts, including Foreign Minister Baerbock, on various EU and international issues in our common interest.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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50. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his engagements with the government of Mexico. [36807/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I travelled to Mexico from 7-10 January 2024 for a range of meetings aimed at strengthening Ireland’s political relationship with Mexico, underlining Government support for the development of trade and investment and connecting with the active Irish diaspora there.

During the visit, I had a rich exchange with Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena. We discussed: bilateral relations, including our deepening economic relations and the consistent growth of our trade and investment relations over recent years; shared priorities for sustainable development and peacebuilding in the Latin America region, notably Central America and Colombia. We also had an exchange on key foreign policy issues and on our continued close bilateral and multilateral cooperation on the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

I also met with high-level representatives of various Irish companies with significant investments in Mexico and members of the Irish community who all play an important role in building links between Ireland and Mexico.

In March of this year, then-Minister of State for Financial Services, Credit Unions, and Insurance, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, visited Mexico as part of the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Programme. During her visit, the Minister met with the Minister for Finance, Rogelio Ramírez de la O, and the Deputy Minister for the Economy, Alejandro Encinas Nájera.

These visits reinforce Ireland’s bilateral relations with Mexico, allow us to promote Ireland and Irish interests and values and to strengthen our links with the diaspora and business leaders.