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India - Ireland Relations Political Relations India-Ireland interactions go back to the nineteenth century, when a significant number of Irishmen joined the British Civil Service and colonial army regiments in India. The colonial medical and engineering services had a large Irish content. During this period, Irish missionaries and educationists also spread out into all regions of India. Links were further strengthened by the connections between the nationalist movements of the two countries since the early years of the 20th century. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and the Irish leader Eamon De Valera were often in touch. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Vitthalbhai Patel were in regular correspondence with Irish nationalist leaders. There were contacts in other fields as well, most prominent among them being the close interaction between Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore and W.B. Yeats. Formal diplomatic links were established in 1947. India opened an Embassy in Dublin in 1951. The Irish Embassy in New Delhi was set up in 1964 and the Honorary Consulates in Mumbai and Bengaluru in 1976 and 2000 respectively. New Honorary Consulates have been established in Chennai and Kolkata in 2010 There have been three Presidential visits from Ireland to India – Eamon de Valera [1948], Dr Patrick Hillery [1979] and Mrs Mary Robinson [1993]. Presidential visits from India to Ireland have been of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan [1964] and Shri N. Sanjiva Reddy [1982]. The only Indian Prime Minister to have visited Ireland was Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru [twice – 1949 and 1956]. Irish PM Garrett Fitzgerald visited India for the funeral of Smt Indira Gandhi in 1984. PM Bertie Ahern paid an official bilateral visit in January 2006. Minister of State Shri P.Shivshanker visited Ireland in June 1986 for the first anniversary ceremony of the Kanishka crash. Mrs Preneet Kaur visited Ireland in 2011. Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy paid a visit to Ireland in 2012. Recent bilateral visits have been those of MOS (EA) Smt. Preneet Kaur in October 2011 and Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New and Renewable Energy in June 2012. Though there has been a number of visits from the Irish side, few of the recent visits are mentioned as under: In November 2013 Mr Pascal Donoghoe, Minister of State for European Affairs led the Irish delegation to the 11th ASEM-ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting. He met also with MOS (PK) during the visit at which a wide range of bilateral and global issues were discussed. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton visited India in November 2013 along with a 45-member trade delegation. He met CIM Mr Anand Sharma and addressed the Global Innovation Roundtable organized by the National Innovation Council. Minister for Children Ms. Frances Fitzgerald visited India on St Patrick’s Day (March 2013). Minister of State for Training and Skills, Ciarán Cannon led Ireland’s largest ever education mission to India in November 2012. During April 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Mr. Richard Bruton led a trade delegation to India to explore commercial opportunities for Irish business. In March 2011, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Dr. Leo Varadkar visited India for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and in March 2010, Minister of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan visited Mumbai and Delhi for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Five rounds of consultations have been held between the Foreign Offices of the two countries, the last in New Delhi in September 2009. Bilateral Agreements February 1991 Agreement on Air Transport signed in New Delhi Agreement on Foreign Office Consultations signed in New October 1993 Delhi MOU on Joint Working Group on Information Technology April 2000 signed in New Delhi Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation signed in New November 2000 Delhi Agreement on Cooperation in Culture January 2006 (During Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation Irish PM’s visit) Agreement on Cooperation between Science Foundation Ireland(SFI and Indian National Science Academy Bilateral Trade (€ million) Year Imports from India Exports to India Total Trade 2008 265.00 161.00 426.00 2009 281.00 158.00 439.00 2010 301.00 162.00 463.00 2011 372.00 217.00 589.00 2012 235.00 365.00 600.00 2013 281.00 386.00 667.00 Source: central statistics office Ireland The trade in goods in 2013 was €667 million while the trade in goods and services in 2012 was €2.26 billion. The Irish economy is predominantly export-based. Exports of goods and services constituted about 80% of GDP, underlining the importance of external trade for the economy of the small country. Major items of Indian exports to Ireland include textiles, garments and clothing accessories, pharmaceuticals, light engineering goods and chemicals. Major items of Irish exports to India include telecommunications equipment, computer accessories, precision equipment and pharmaceuticals. In 2012-13 India’s exports to Ireland were 0.13% of its global trade and imports from Ireland was 0.09% of its global trade. Economic Relations There is a strong but insufficiently realized potential for growth in economic relations. In the 1990s, Ireland’s meteoric economic growth was largely based on trade and investment exchanges with the European Union and USA, with little contribution from Asia. When Ireland’s Asia strategy was launched in 1998, its main focus was on China. It was only in 2004 that India was added as a focus country. Since then, and particularly since the visit to India by the Irish PM Bertie Ahern in January 2006 with a large trade delegation, economic cooperation has received a significant boost. The launch of an Ireland-India Business Association in May 2008 (inaugurated by the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Michael Martin) has significantly enhanced interactions between the business communities of the two countries. Given the strong focus on IT in recent years, a JWG on IT was set up in April 2000. Both Enterprise Ireland and Ireland Development Agency (IDA) responsible for promoting trade and investment have established offices in Mumbai. Indian Companies in Ireland The following Indian companies have a presence in Ireland: Wockhardt, Ranbaxy and Reliance Life Sciences , Crompton Greaves , Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies, WIPRO ,Reliance Genemedix Ltd, Tech Mahindra Ltd, Braahmam, Aditi Technologies , Firstsource , Deepak Fasteners and Hindustan Zinc. Other Indian pharmaceuticals and IT companies are reported to be in various stages of negotiations for investment in Ireland. Irish Companies in India The following Irish companies have a presence in India: CRH, Total Produce, Medical research co. ICON and Kerry Groups Culture A bilateral cultural agreement was signed during the visit of the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to India in January 2006. A number of events were organised by the Embassy in partnership with local and Indian community organizations to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore which included the unveiling of bust, translation and dances and dramas based on Tagore’s works. A variety of Indian spiritual leaders visit Ireland regularly as they have a considerable local following. Practice of yoga is widespread in Ireland. Ayurvedic and other naturopathic systems are growing in popularity. The Irish participate enthusiastically in celebrating Indian festivals organised by various Indian Associations. Overseas Development Assistance Ireland maintained a bilateral aid programme in India since the 1970s when India was, for some time, a ‘priority country’ in its ODA efforts. The official bilateral assistance stopped after our decision to terminate ODA programmes with all except the major donor countries. Ireland still contributes to emergency relief during disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tsunami, etc. through its NGOs which work with Indian NGOs. Irish NGOs also use Irish government funds, as well as other locally collected funds, to work again with reputed Indian NGOs on social upliftment projects in India – education, healthcare in disadvantaged communities, etc. The annual exposure of Irish NGOs in Indian projects is estimated at € 12-15 million. NRIs/PIOs There are about 26,000 Indians or persons of Indian origin in Ireland, of whom about 17,000 are Indian citizens. The bulk of the community is in healthcare (doctors and nurses), IT, engineering and senior management positions. The community is well-regarded locally and has integrated well into Irish society. Given its profile, the community is an important resource for the promotion of India-Ireland relations. Dr Leo Varadkar (34 years), recently appointed as Minister for Health after being moved from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sports in a mid-term Cabinet reshuffle, is the first ever Minister of Indian origin. Useful Resources: Embassy of India, Dublin website: http://www.indianembassy.ie/ ***** December 2014 .
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