Tánaiste hosts Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan
- Published on: 26 August 2025
- Last updated on: 26 August 2025
The Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris TD has met the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, in Iveagh House.
The visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs is his first official visit to Ireland and is an important opportunity to discuss Ireland’s bilateral relationship with Türkiye and broader EU- Türkiye relations, as well as exchanging views on foreign policy issues and global challenges.
Ireland and Türkiye are the co-chairs of the Working Group on Preserving the Two-State Solution as part of the United Nations High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. In this context, the Tánaiste and Minister Fidan discussed the future of Palestine.
The Tánaiste said:
“I am delighted to welcome Foreign Minister Fidan to Dublin. Ireland and Türkiye share an ambitious agenda for a strengthened bilateral relationship and addressing global challenges.
“I welcome the opportunity to outline our commitment to the promotion of political, commercial, cultural, and educational ties with Türkiye as we prepare to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2026.
“Ireland and Türkiye share a deep and serious commitment to a Two State Solution for Israel/Palestine and Minister Fidan and I had an important discussion on this issue. We also spoke about our continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion.”
In the context of Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026, the Tánaiste and Minister Fidan discussed opportunities to enhance EU-Turkish cooperation, and Ireland’s support for accession for all candidate countries that meet the necessary criteria.
The Tánaiste and Minister also discussed developments at the multilateral level, including UN and G20 collaboration, and considered potential areas for enhanced future collaboration.