Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline Ireland's relationship with Iceland; if there are any plans to establish an embassy in Reykjavik; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46154/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has an excellent bilateral relationship with Iceland. In February this year, I had my first meeting with the new Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir en marge of the Munich Security Conference. My Department maintains regular diplomatic contacts with Iceland, primarily though our Embassy in Oslo, Norway, which has been accredited to Iceland on a non-resident basis since 2019. The Embassy works to enhance the political and economic relationship between Ireland and Iceland, to enhance links with the Irish diaspora and promote Ireland and Irish culture. The state agencies Tourism Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia are based in Stockholm and Copenhagen and are responsible for pursuing Ireland's interests in their respective areas for the whole Nordic region, including Iceland. Ireland has an Honorary Consul based in Reykjavik, Mr Jens Thordarson. Iceland's diplomatic representation to Ireland is based in London and they maintain an Honorary Consul in Ireland.

In June 2018, the Government launched Global Ireland: Ireland's Global Footprint to 2025. The strategy aims to see Ireland's global footprint and influence double in the period to 2025, including through an expanded and strengthened diplomatic presence. Under the Global Ireland strategy, 27 new diplomatic missions have been opened or their future opening has been announced. This has been accompanied by a significant expansion of the State Agency presence in key markets and by the strengthening of resources in a number of other diplomatic missions.

The Government reviews the network of diplomatic missions on an ongoing basis, and will do so in the context of the successor to the Global Ireland Strategy foreseen in the Programme for Government. In considering locations for new Missions, a range of factors are taken into account including the needs of Irish citizens overseas, our national, political, economic and trade priorities, as well as the availability of resources. In this context, an Irish Embassy in Iceland will be kept under review.