Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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185. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he met with the US House of Representatives Minority Leader during his visit to New York for St. Patrick's Day events. [13866/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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During my recent Saint's Patrick's Day visit to the United States, I was delighted to visit Philadelphia and New York, two of Irish America’s most important and iconic cities.

I renewed important political relationships with a wide range of American counterparts. This included New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and members of Congress Brendan Boyle and Mary Gay Scanlon. I did not meet with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic Leader, on this occasion.

I also met with a wide range of our diaspora and Irish community and cultural organisations, emphasising the depth of cultural, economic and people-to-people ties between our two countries. At a time when we face considerable uncertainty, including because of the imposition of tariffs, I also placed a significant emphasis on economic engagement during my visit this year, particularly in New York.

I return from my visit convinced that Saint Patrick’s Day continues to serve as a unique opportunity to celebrate and promote Irish culture, to recognise our diaspora and to platform and promote Ireland as an excellent location to do business and to invest, and in particular in the United States.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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186. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has met with the Malaysian ambassador to Ireland to date in 2025. [13926/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have not yet had occasion to meet the Ambassador of Malaysia to Ireland, His Excellency Wan Aznainizam Yusri Wan Abdul Rashid, in 2025. However, my officials have excellent ongoing engagement with the Ambassador and his team.

Malaysia and Ireland share a warm bilateral relationship, based on many decades of business and trade links, engagement between our governments and strong connections between the people of Ireland and Malaysia. There is a particular connection through higher education, especially medical education. A large number of Malaysian students are currently studying in Ireland, and there are also strong connections between a number of our higher education institutions. For example, RCSI and UCD have a shared overseas campus in the city of Penang.

Diplomatic links between Ireland and Malaysia are also strong. Ireland’s Embassy in Kuala Lumpur opened in 1995 and was Ireland’s first Embassy in South-East Asia . The current Irish Ambassador to Malaysia is Ms. Orla Tunney. The Embassy of Malaysia in Dublin opened in 2001, and was the first resident Embassy of a South East Asian county in Ireland. Senior Irish and Malaysian diplomats are in regular contact, and in November 2024 a delegation from my Department led by our Director General for Asia-Pacific met in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia counterparts for comprehensive bilateral consultations, where a full range of political, trade, and people-to-people issues were discussed.

The Government’s Asia Pacific Strategy outlines our commitment to enhancing and strengthening our relationships in South-East Asia, including with our longstanding partner Malaysia. The year 2025 is particularly significant, with Malaysia holding the Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

I look forward to continued strong engagement with Malaysia this year and in years to come.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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187. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the level of engagement between his Department and the Government of Qatar in 2024 and to date in 2025. [13927/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ministers met at the inaugural EU – GCC Summit in Brussels in October 2024, under the theme “Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity”.

Ireland’s Ambassador in Abu Dhabi is accredited to Qatar, and travels there regularly. The Qatari Ambassador in London accredits also to Dublin, and officials of my Department are in frequent contact with the Qatari Embassy.

Qatar has played an important and helpful role in the recent conflict in the Middle East, including its efforts in facilitating negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza and its engagement with Iran. Irish Ministers have discussed these and related issues on a number of occasions with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar.