During the reception to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Minister Mary Butler highlighted her government’s commitment to multilateral order and human rights
With a strong commitment to multilateralism, Ireland aims to promote economic competitiveness, the Single Market, and the expansion of the European Union during its presidency of the EU Council, which will begin on July 1, as emphasized by the Minister of Mental Health and spokesperson for the parliamentary majority of Fianna Fáil, Mary Butler during the reception hosted by Ambassador Brian Glynn during the commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day.
As an open economy, the minister assured, in Ireland, we work to seize all opportunities to protect and promote an ambitious, free, fair market, with rules and values, based on trade, which is crucial for smaller countries like ours and is a guarantee of security for this continent.
On the other hand, she emphasized her government’s commitment to “the multilateral order in collaboration with the United Nations.” In this regard, Butler explained that as a small country, Ireland is aware of the importance of sustaining and improving multilateral institutions, as a rules-based order and values remains our best option to address the multitude of challenges we all face today.
The minister expressed her desire for Ireland to secure a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period from 2027 to 2029 and outlined the priorities of her campaign: protection of civil rights, women, LGBTQI+ individuals, and people with disabilities caught in conflicts, as well as the right to food, among others that she encompassed in a firm commitment to “the values enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights.”
In a bilateral context, Butler assured that Spanish-Irish economic relations are very strong, as are the personal ties between Irish and Spanish people, which “are built through business, tourism, sports, music, education, art, and culture, within a mutually warm spirit that creates an atmosphere in which foreigners quickly feel like friends.”
For his part, the ambassador recalled that bilateral relations date back 90 years, despite the fact that at that time the Irish envoy presented his credentials signed by the British king. Since that moment, and even before, Brian Glynn emphasized that relations between both countries have always been excellent, as “we are united by very deep historical ties.”
The head of the Irish Mission in Spain, who expressed pride in returning to Madrid after his first posting as a counselor 25 years ago, added that both countries “now enjoy peace and prosperity within the European Union.” He also revealed that during the recent meeting held by Prime Ministers Micheál Martin and Pedro Sánchez to discuss Ireland’s upcoming EU presidency, “they agreed to elevate our relationship to a higher level and establish an ambitious joint action plan, like the one Ireland already has with France and Germany.
