Tánaiste meets Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar as Ireland and India establish a Joint Economic Commission

Tánaiste Simon Harris has welcomed the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, to Dublin today (7 March) for bilateral talks.

The meeting marked the first visit by an Indian Foreign Minister to Ireland and was the first high-level political visit from India to Ireland since the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.

Two-way trade between India and Ireland has shown strong growth, with combined goods and services trade in the region of €16 billion/1.4 trillion Indian Rupees in 2023. The Tánaiste and Minister Jaishankar discussed a number of bilateral matters, including their agreement to establish a Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between Ireland and India. The move builds on longstanding links and cooperation between the two countries and offers an opportunity to consult on trade and economic issues and increase awareness of both countries and their respective economic priorities among key decision makers.

The Tánaiste said: “I was delighted to welcome the Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar, to Iveagh House for a working breakfast meeting. We discussed the growing bilateral relationship between Ireland and India, including opportunities to enhance further links in trade and investment cooperation. India is the largest democracy in the world and an important partner of Ireland which shares a range of interests including a commitment to multilateralism and rules-based global trade.

“I was pleased earlier this week to secure government approval for adoption of an Action Plan for enhancing Ireland’s engagement with India. This is a clear demonstration of Ireland’s commitment to deepening our engagement with India as a key bilateral partner. The agreement sets out a broad range of measures under four strategic goals which will be pursued and implemented by relevant government departments and agencies. The first practical outworking of this Plan was the signature earlier today of a Memorandum of Understanding on diplomatic exchange of officials which I very warmly welcome.

“My meeting with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also saw agreement in principle to establish a Joint Economic Commission between Ireland and India, similar to those which we have with a number of other strategic partners. The establishment of a JEC is a fitting way to progress the increasingly important trade and economic relationship between Ireland and India, following the celebration of 75 years of bilateral relations in 2024.

“The JEC, once established, will serve as a vehicle to enhance internal cooperation and coordination and strengthen our likeminded partnership with one of the largest economies in the world, and one with huge potential for increased bilateral trade and investment.

“Minister Jaishankar and I also discussed a range of bilateral issues including Ireland and India’s cultural and people-to-people links, our engagement with India as committed members of the European Union and global issues such as Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the situations in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region and common challenges such as climate change.

“We agreed that by working more closely together at the multilateral level, we can better address bilateral and global issues in a mutually beneficial manner.”

The proposal for an Action Plan for enhancing Ireland’s engagement with India is available on ireland.ie.

Further information on Ireland’s presence in India is available at www.ireland.ie/india.

This was the first incoming visit of an Indian Foreign Minister to Ireland and the first high-level political visit from India to Ireland since the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. Minister of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless will visit New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai over the St. Patrick’s Day period.

A Joint Economic Commission (JEC) is a bilateral forum between Countries which allows them to consult on important trade and investment issues, to discuss developments at the WTO, and to increase awareness of both countries and their respective economic priorities among key decision makers.

It is proposed that the JEC, when established, will meet on a biennial basis, at senior official level, with location alternating between India and Ireland. Work on the detail of the JEC will be taken forward by officials in the coming weeks, with a view to Ireland and India entering into a formal agreement later this year.

During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a bilateral Diplomatic Exchange programme was also signed by Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland to India, and Akhilesh Mishra, Ambassador of India to Ireland.

This diplomatic exchange aims to strengthen connections between both government systems, establish networks among officials and promote greater understanding of respective strategic priorities. It is envisaged that Ireland will host a select number of Indian officials for the first iteration in autumn 2025, with a return programme taking place in India in 2026.

Ireland’s Global Ireland Strategy has supported an expanded Irish presence in India, with the opening in 2019 of Ireland House in Mumbai (India’s largest city and financial centre), home to Ireland’s Consulate General, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. Ireland also has three Honorary Consulates in the Indian cities of Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai.