Breen welcomes re-opening of Vatican embassy

Fine Gael Clare TD and Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Pat Breen, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the re-opening of an Irish embassy to the Holy See. The move has been announced as part of the establishment of a number of new embassies and consulates to support trade and aid.

“I am very pleased that the Government has taken the decision to re-open the embassy to the Holy See, which will focus on international development. It will also allow Ireland to engage directly with the leadership of Pope Francis on a number of levels, including issues relating to the Church.

“I have consistently said that I believe a cost effective solution could be found, following the closure of the Vatican embassy. This is exactly what the Government has decided upon; the re-opened embassy to the Holy See will be staffed by one person and will provide an essential link between Ireland and the Vatican. This is a very sensible resolution, and I would like to commend David Cooney, the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Designate to the Vatican, for his work on this issue.

“We must ensure we have a network of embassies which is delivering a trade return. Ireland is a small, open economy, and we need to do all we can to ensure we are maximising our overseas trade potential. Our embassy network plays a huge role in this. This is an issue which I have been pursuing through the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and I am very pleased, therefore, that the Government has decided to open a number of new embassies in regions where an Irish presence is currently lacking.

“Embassies will be established for the first time in the fast-growing economies of Thailand (Bangkok) and Indonesia (Jakarta). In support of our aid programme, an embassy will also be established in Nairobi, Kenya. Consulates General are to be established in the financial and business hubs of Hong Kong (China) and Sao Paolo (Brazil), and in the tech hub of Austin, Texas (USA). Finally, an embassy will be established in Zagreb, following the recent accession of Croatia to the EU.

“We are a small country competing on an international stage. The expansion of the embassy network will help the Government to attract foreign direct investment and drive our export-led economic recovery. It is important to add that the new embassies will be small, with one to three diplomatic staff, and the cost of establishing the new missions will be covered by the existing Foreign Affairs budget.”