Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade Arrives in the Middle East for Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission

DUBAI, UAE and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, November 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

37 Irish companies visiting KSA and the U.A.E. 

Charlie Flanagan TD, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, has arrived in the region to begin Enterprise Ireland's Trade Mission to the Middle East.

Minister Flanagan will travel to Riyadh (12 & 13 November), Abu Dhabi (14 November) and Dubai (15 November) to meet senior Government Ministers and to facilitate talks with a wide range of local businesses and  participating Irish companies, as well as announcing a number of new contract wins and partnership agreements.

37 Irish companies are taking part in the trade mission, spanning a number of key sectors including education, healthcare, digital media, ICT and telecoms, financial services, aviation and agri-technology. The visit is organised by Enterprise Ireland Middle East, the regional arm of the Irish government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets.

The visit comes as Ireland continues to strengthen industry links with the region. Exports of Enterprise Ireland backed companies to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states increased by 12% in 2015 to over €507m with further strong gains projected this year.

Mr. Charlie Flanagan TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "I am delighted to be here with such a wide range of innovative Irish companies who are forging successful partnerships with prominent entities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Middle East is a very important region for us and there are significant opportunities for even more Irish companies to do business here in the future".

Mr. Joe Breslin, Regional Director, S. Europe, Middle East, Africa & India at Enterprise Ireland said: "We are very pleased with the progress so many leading Irish companies are making throughout the GCC. The region is full of opportunities and local businesses definitely recognise the value of Irish expertise and innovation across a wide range of sectors, resulting in an impressive number of fruitful partnerships. We expect to see more of these successful collaborations in the near future".

About Enterprise Ireland 

Enterprise Ireland is the trade and technology agency of the Government of Ireland that links Irish enterprises and overseas partners to build mutually profitable international business. The agency has a national network of nine regional offices throughout Ireland and over 30 international locations, including offices in Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

For the latest information on Enterprise Ireland MENA, follow us on Twitter @EI_Abudhabi, or connect with us on LinkedIn.  (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Enterprise-Ireland-MENA-4188132)

http://www.enterprise-ireland.com

SOURCE Enterprise Ireland