Middle East and North Africa

This page provides a brief introduction to Ireland’s bilateral and multilateral political relations with the Middle East and North Africa.

Ireland’s bilateral relationships with the countries of the Middle East are co-ordinated within the Department’s Political Division. The Division is also responsible for the broad foreign policy and human rights aspects of Ireland’s relations with the region.

The Division works closely with other relevant Divisions, and with the Department’s Missions in Cairo, Ramallah, Riyadh, Tehran, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, as well as the Permanent Representations to the EU in Brussels and to the UN in New York and Geneva.

Political Division monitors political developments in the region and in relevant regional organisations, and formulates Ireland’s approach to such developments, including their human rights dimensions.

At EU level, the Division, working with the Permanent Representation, Brussels, is responsible for the Irish input into the development of the Union’s relationships with the countries of the region, in particular through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and through the operation of the Euromed Partnership between the EU and the countries of the Mediterranean and Levant.