Minister McEntee speaks with UK Foreign Secretary Cooper

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, spoke by phone today with the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper.

Their introductory call focused on the shared ambition of both Governments to deepen cooperation across all aspects of the British-Irish relationship, as committed to at the first UK-Ireland Summit held in March 2025. As well as bilateral relations, Minister McEntee and

Foreign Secretary Cooper briefly discussed EU-UK relations and broader geopolitical and security concerns including the situation in Gaza and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Speaking after the meeting, Minister McEntee said; “I look forward to working closely with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on the many shared challenges and opportunities that are best addressed through cooperation by Ireland and the UK. That includes our bilateral relationship, of course, including Northern Ireland and the Common Travel Area, but also our shared interests in Europe, and the global challenges we face together.

“Our two Governments continue to build positive momentum in line with the ambitions of the milestone UK-Ireland Joint Statement agreed at the inaugural UK-Ireland Summit in March, which set out a framework for cooperation to 2030.

“Leveraging the renewal in our partnership in order to deliver for all the people of these islands is an important aspect of the British Irish relationship.”