During a historic visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, to Ireland last week, both sides agreed to set up a new Joint Economic Commission (JEC) to enhance trade and investment relations.
His Irish counterpart, Tánaiste Simon Harris, welcomed him to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin where both leaders also clinched an “Action Plan” to enhance the bilateral partnership. It marked the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Ireland and the first high-level political visit from India since the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.
The Government of Ireland said in a statement that the JEC, once established, will serve as a vehicle to enhance internal cooperation and coordination, and strengthen the “likeminded partnership with one of the largest economies in the world”.
Harris stated: “With two-way trade already at EURO 16 billion, we’re committed to strengthening every opportunity for growth, investment, and collaboration.
“I was pleased earlier this week to secure government approval for adoption of an Action Plan for enhancing Ireland’s engagement with India. This is a clear demonstration of Ireland’s commitment to deepening our engagement with India as a key bilateral partner. The agreement sets out a broad range of measures under four strategic goals which will be pursued and implemented by relevant government departments and agencies. The first practical outworking of this Plan was the signature earlier today of a Memorandum of Understanding on diplomatic exchange of officials which I very warmly welcome.
“My meeting with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also saw agreement in principle to establish a Joint Economic Commission between Ireland and India, similar to those which we have with a number of other strategic partners. The establishment of a JEC is a fitting way to progress the increasingly important trade and economic relationship between Ireland and India, following the celebration of 75 years of bilateral relations in 2024.”
The Indian minister’s tour of Ireland also covered an address at University College Dublin, where he addressed the gathering on the topic of ‘India’s view of the world’.
This was accompanied by a series of engagements, including an interaction with the Indian diaspora settled in Ireland.
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