merrion street

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., hosted a working lunch today in honour of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Ms. Marija Pejčinović-Burić.

The Tánaiste congratulated the Deputy Prime Minister on the launch by Air Croatia of direct flights this summer between Dublin and Zagreb ,and said he was confident they would help forge new people-to-people links and strengthen commercial relations between both countries.

He thanked his Croatian counterpart for the support Croatia has given to Ireland during the Brexit negotiations and re-affirmed Ireland’s support for the Croatian Presidency of the European Union in 2020. Croatia, like Ireland, is a strong supporter of enlargement and the two Ministers had an exchange over lunch on the European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans. At the meeting they also discussed a wide range of issues, including EU relations with Africa and the Middle East Peace Process.

Later, the Deputy Prime Minister spoke at the Institute of International & European Affairs (IIEA) on the theme of “The EU’s way forward: a view from Croatia.”