- Minister delivers Ireland's annual statement to the UN General Assembly
- Minister has meetings with counterparts from around the world
- Minister also meets with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, has this week undertaken a jam packed schedule of meetings and engagements at the UN and with community and business interests in New York.
The Minister delivered Ireland's annual statement to the UN General Assembly on Saturday and during the week had meetings with foreign minister counterparts from around the world, using those meetings to strengthen bilateral ties and promote Ireland’s interests.
As he prepared to travel back to Ireland on Saturday evening, Minister Flanagan reflected on the week’s events:
“It was a signal honour for me to address the United Nations on behalf of Ireland at the annual gathering of the UN's 193 members. This week has also provided an opportunity for me to speak at a range of other UN events on topics as diverse as humanitarian priorities, conflict resolution, civilian crisis management, the right to development and international mediation.
"This week has also provided me with a very valuable opportunity to have formal and informal discussions with a wide range of countries, including formal meetings with foreign ministers from countries including Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Colombia and Indonesia.
"I assured my foreign ministerial counterparts, in our formal and informal contacts, of Ireland's strong commitment to remaining at the heart of the EU and outlined our current healthy economic growth and vibrant trade and investment approach. I also participated in a meeting of all EU foreign ministers.
"In the course of a busy week, I also met informally with President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry at events they hosted, as well as having formal discussions with the State Department.
"On Saturday morning, I met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has worked closely with Ireland during his tenure as Secretary General, particularly on peacekeeping, the Sustainable Development Goals, migration and the fight against hunger.
"Finally, I have also been able to meet members of our diaspora by hosting a number of community and business focused events. I reaffirmed our commitment to supporting immigration reform in the United States in order to address the plight of the estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish living there, as well as the promotion of the always strong and friendly links between the United States and Ireland.
“UN General Assembly week in New York offers an unparalleled opportunity for Ireland to meet with other members of the international community, to exchange views on a wide range of issues, to explore possibilities of collaboration with our UN partners on today's global challenges and to advocate Ireland's priorities on a world stage.”