The first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ireland in 59 years, Narendra Modi held talks with Irish counterpart Enda Kenny, hoping the country's visa policy will be sensitive to the requirements of India's IT firms.
He also sought Ireland's support for India's membership of the UN Security Council and international export control regimes, including the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), in his meeting that covered topics on global challenges like terror and radicalisation. In his five-hour stopover, Modi noted that their discussions underlined the importance of closer cooperation between both the countries. In a joint statement along with Kenny, he said, “I was pleased to exchange views on a broad range of international challenges, including terrorism, radicalisation and the situation in Europe and Asia.” He thanked Ireland and said, “I have now sought Ireland's support for India's membership of the NDG and other international export regimes. India's membership will deepen our bilateral cooperation and strengthen international non-proliferation efforts.”
Where trade was concerned, he said investment ties were growing, despite global and regional uncertainties and the economic partnership can have a strong technology focus; information technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, agricultural and clean energy. “I also hope that Ireland’s visa policy will be sensitive to the requirements of India’s Information Technology firms. I also conveyed our interest in concluding a social security agreement, which will be of great help to professionals from both countries,” Modi said. “India and Ireland are ideally placed to form productive partnerships to take advantage of the opportunities in the digital age. I hope that our Joint Working Group on Information Technology will meet soon to chart out the roadmap for collaboration. I am glad that we will soon have direct air services by airlines of both countries. This will not only promote our business links, but also give a strong boost to our tourism ties that are already growing at 14 per cent per year.”
