New Irish Embassies and Consulates to Open in 2018

In October, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney announced the opening of six new Irish diplomatic missions as part of the government’s 2018 budget package. New embassies in Chile, Colombia, Jordan, and New Zealand will assist in promoting trade and investment. A new consulate in Vancouver, British Columbia, will benefit the Irish diaspora in Canada and improve the already-strong Irish-Canadian relations. And in Mumbai, a new consulate will allow Ireland to engage more thoroughly with the western regions of India. “The announcement of these new Irish embassies and consulates are important first steps in expanding our global footprint and diversifying our trade portfolio as we prepare for Brexit,” Coveney said in a statement at Leinster House.
For 2018, the government also allocated over $834 million to overseas official development assistance. “We will use these additional resources to continue the fight against poverty and hunger, to build on our work delivering sustainable improvements in living standards for some of the world’s poorest people, and in increasing our response to the unprecedented level of humanitarian needs worldwide,” Minister for International Development and the Diaspora Ciaran Cannon said. ♦