John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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67. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the opening of an embassy in Moldova; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38242/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland enjoys excellent bilateral relations with Moldova. The Moldovan Government opened a resident Embassy in Dublin in February 2020, which has been positive in terms of increased engagement and cooperation between our two countries, as well as servicing the significant Moldovan Community in Ireland.

I look forward to opening Ireland’s first resident embassy in Chișinău this summer. This will contribute to the further deepening of bilateral relations and facilitate deeper engagement on Moldova’s EU accession process ahead of our Presidency next year.

I met briefly with Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popșoi, in the margins of the Munich Security Conference in February, where he warmly welcomed the decision to open a resident Embassy in Moldova.

Opening an embassy in Chișinău is a further signal of Ireland’s firm support for Moldova, in the context of the challenges the country is facing resulting for Russia’s ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine, and Russian hybrid activity seeking to undermine the country’s democratic processes and halt its European pathway.

I am pleased to note that preparations for the new mission are on schedule. The Moldovan Government has granted Agrément to Mr. Myles Geiran as the first resident Ambassador of Ireland to Moldova. He is expected to take up residence in Moldova in August 2025.

Until the opening of the new Embassy, Ireland continues to be represented in Moldova by the Honorary Consul, Dr. Suzanne O’Connell, though responsibility for visa processing has been transferred to Embassy Bucharest. There is a small resident Irish population in Moldova, while Ireland hosts a Moldovan community of approximately 30,000 people.

The opening of the embassy in Chișinău provides Ireland with an opportunity to engage even more deeply with the Government of Moldova in the context of its EU accession process, the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and on issues of bilateral importance.