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Prince Faisal bin Farhan received Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence Helen McEntee in Jeddah on Tuesday as the Irish minister continued her first overseas trip since Ireland assumed the rotating EU presidency. The ministers reviewed bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments, according to details released after the discussions. They examined ongoing crises and steps toward de-escalation that could open the way for comprehensive peaceful resolutions, while both sides stressed the value of sustained diplomatic engagement.
Both delegations emphasized the need to restore stability, protect maritime routes and uphold freedom of navigation, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reported following the meeting. McEntee had noted in a departmental statement released ahead of her arrival that recent events in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz underscored the direct impact of regional instability on European prosperity and security. The conversation also touched on the situations in Lebanon and the Middle East peace process, aligning with priorities McEntee has pursued in earlier multilateral forums.
On the economic track the ministers explored ways to expand cooperation across sectors and to advance shared interests through stronger public-private partnerships. They paid particular attention to opportunities created by Saudi Vision 2030 that could lift bilateral trade and investment flows. United Nations COMTRADE data places Saudi imports from Ireland at $1.95 billion in 2024, a baseline that officials indicated could expand further under the kingdom’s diversification drive.
The partnership between Ireland and Saudi Arabia has lasted more than five decades since diplomatic relations were established in 1974, according to records maintained by both foreign ministries. McEntee told her department she looked forward to the exchange “alongside regional developments, including the situation in the Gulf, Lebanon and the Middle East Peace Process.” She also planned a separate meeting with Saudi women, among them graduates of Irish universities, to hear perspectives on the kingdom’s social and economic transformation.
The Jeddah stop formed part of a wider Gulf tour that began in Qatar, where McEntee signed a memorandum of understanding on political consultations and met senior Qatari officials on peace and investment issues. In remarks issued by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, she described the Irish community in the Gulf as an important bridge that strengthens people-to-people links with all three countries visited. Undersecretary for Political Affairs Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al-Sati and the director-general of the ministry’s Makkah branch Farid bin Saad Al-Shahri attended the Jeddah session from the Saudi side.
McEntee’s engagement with Saudi Arabia builds on her earlier participation in initiatives such as the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, where she publicly acknowledged Saudi co-chairing efforts in a January 2026 address. The discussions in Jeddah reinforced the shared interest in supporting international mediation and avoiding further escalation that could affect global energy and trade routes. No new formal agreements were announced, but both sides agreed to maintain channels of communication on the topics covered.
