IRELAND IS SET to open an Embassy in Pakistan as part of a programme which aims to “strengthen” the State’s diplomatic presence.

Alongside the new Embassy in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Ireland will also open two Consulate Generals in Milan (Italy) and Munich (Germany).

Embassies are typically located in the capital city of another country, as is the case with Islamabad, while Consulate Generals are diplomatic missions that are usually in major cities other than the capital.

The three new overseas Missions were announced today following agreement at Cabinet on a memo brought by Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Coveney. 

Minister Coveney called it an “important next step in the expansion of Ireland’s diplomatic and consular network as part of the Global Ireland programme”.

Global Ireland

The Global Ireland programme was launched in 2018.

Its aim is to “double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global footprint by 2025”.

This includes the commitment to opening at least 26 new diplomatic missions by 2025 – the three new missions will bring to 22 the number of missions opened or announced.

The Foreign Affairs Minister said the programme “is now demonstrably providing a robust foundation for a broader, deeper engagement for Ireland with the world”.

He added that the Embassy in Islamabad will provide Ireland with a “presence in a rapidly developing and geopolitically important region”.

More than 33 million people have been affected by recent flooding in Pakistan, brough on by record monsoon rains.

Ireland has committed €500,000 in humanitarian assistance to support aid efforts and Minister Coveney said the “recent devastating floods have highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to the impact of climate change”.

Meanwhile, Minister Coveney said the presence of a consulate general in Milan will “significantly improve Ireland’s effectiveness in Italy and create new dynamism for Ireland in the region”.

Elsewhere, the Foreign Affairs Minister remarked that the consulate general in Munich “sends an important signal about Ireland’s commitment to widening our footprint in Germany”.