Ireland is working hard to boost ties with Arab nations - minister

By Khaled Al-Daihani DUBLIN (Ireland), March 24 (KUNA) -- Dean of the Arab and foreign corps in the United Kingdom Ambassador of Kuwait Khaled Al-Duwaisan praised on Saturday deep-rooted Arab-Irish relations, and conveyed the Irish desire in boosting them on all levels.
The senior diplomat's remarks to KUNA came following the meeting that gathered him, Arab, and foreign ambassadors to UK and Ireland, with Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday.
Ireland is considered as one of the supporting nations of Arab issues within the European Union (EU), especially its honorable stance regarding the Palestinian cause, the diplomat affirmed.
Al-Duwaisan hailed Coveney's criticism of the latest Israeli cabinet decisions, as he called for halting the building of new settlements, and working to reach the two-state solution to end Arab-Israeli conflict.
Ireland is among the few countries in the world hosting a full Palestinian diplomatic mission, he said.
On his part, Pat Breen, Irish Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, said his country is keen to enhance economic and commercial ties with Arab nations, and it is ready to boost its diplomatic existence in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Minister added in remarks to KUNA that bolstering ties with the Arab World comes as a priority on his agenda, with a great possibility of increasing the amount of commercial exchange during the coming years.
The Irish Industrial Development Authority (IDA) is organizing a number of activities and visits for local businesspeople to a number of Arab countries to discuss means of economic cooperation, as well as boosting mutual investments, he noted.
The minister will be visiting a number of Arab countries coming next September and October to work further on that matter.
Ireland is considered one of the smallest European countries size wise, yet its economy is increasing rapidly compared to other EU countries, he pointed out.
Ireland has faced the global financial crisis firmly, and turned into a regional center to many international companies and European official bodies, he affirmed.
Following Brexit, many companies will transfer their offices to Dublin in order to maintain their activities within the EU borders, he pointed out.
Chair of the Arab-Irish Chamber Dr. Niall Holohan said in a speech he gave during the event that the Chamber was founded in 1987, aiming to support and boost commercial relations between Ireland and Arab nations.
The Chamber is working to offer many services to exporting Irish companies, by providing them with information and communications with Arab nations, he said.
Arab markets are considered of the most important for Irish exporters outside Europe and North America, Holohan noted.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the size of trade volume between Ireland and Arab countries, which reached EUR 2.1 billion, wishing to increase this figure in the future.
The event was attended by some Arab ambassadors to Ireland, namely: Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. (end) kd.lb