Dear friends,
A cháirde,
,اعزائي الاصدقاء
On behalf of the team at the Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi, welcome to our website. My name is Alison Milton and I have arrived in UAE in August 2022.
It is an honour for me to have been appointed as Ambassador of Ireland to the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, also with responsibility for Afghanistan. I am especially pleased to be taking up this position at a time when relations between our nations are flourishing, and I look forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead.
Is cúis mór onóir dom tús a chur le mo phost mar Ambasadóir in Abu Dhabi agus táim ag tnuth go mór leis.
There are now over 10,000 Irish citizens officially resident in the Emirates, with approximately 2,000 resident in Qatar and 250 in Kuwait. I am really proud of the vital contribution that you are making in the region across various sectors. It is important for you to know that the Embassy of Ireland is here for you. Our primary role is to support you, the Irish citizen, by delivering high quality consular and passport services, by championing Irish community organisations, activities and initiatives, and by promoting Ireland’s interests and values across our areas of responsibility.
I am very honoured to lead Team Ireland in the region. Irish state agencies are doing a magnificent job in promoting trade, tourism and inward investment. I will do my very best to support and amplify their important work. All the while, I will endeavour to continue to bind the friendship between our countries and our people, and to nurture our key partnerships formed with Irish business networks in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we look forward to arranging exciting cultural and social events for the broader Irish community and our friends in the region, as well as all of those Emiratis, Qataris and Kuwaitis who have lived in Ireland. On our website, we will keep you updated on what is happening both in Ireland and with Ireland-related developments in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan. I invite you to follow us on Twitter at @IrlEmbUAE, @IEAmbUAE and Facebook where you will also see regular updates on our activities.
I am delighted that there is such vibrant Irish community here, with strong growth in recent years, and I am excited about meeting as many of you as possible during my time in the region.
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Alison Milton
Ambassador