John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline Ireland's Arab-Ireland trade strategy in view of the recent summit in the Mansion House; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56950/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In October 2024, the Government approved Ireland’s Strategy for the Middle East and North Africa, the last of the regional strategies under the Global Ireland Strategy. The strategy sets out a comprehensive vision to enhance the totality of the relationships between Ireland and this diverse and dynamic region.

The Government recognises the promise and potential of the MENA region for Irish businesses and therefore key objectives of the strategy are to strengthen two-way economic partnerships and reinforce a collaborative Team Ireland approach. The strategy defines a number of commitments towards reaching that objective, including: supporting Ireland’s strategic trade objectives by promoting trade, tourism, education, research, and investment links, and assisting new and existing Irish-MENA business networks across the region. A regional market team covering the GCC countries assures a coordinated approach by Embassies and state agencies in that subregion. The recent announcement of the Government Action Plan on Market Diversification further underlined the importance of key international markets such as the Middle East and North Africa region.

The MENA strategy also includes a commitment to support the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce in its holding of the biennial Arab-Irish Business Forum to help strengthen dialogue between Irish and Arab businesses. This year's event in the Mansion House in September highlighted opportunities and success stories from Irish businesses in the region. It was organized and executed by the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and state agencies. My Department also assisted in identifying speakers from the region.

In 2024, trade in goods to the Middle East and North Africa region amounted to €9.4 billion, with trade in services for 2023 at €25.1 billion. I believe these figures can be increased. In closing I would note that many Irish businesses now maintain a physical presence in Arab countries across several diverse sectors.