Minister Costello to attend International Pledging Conference for Syria

28 January 2013

by Cllr Joe Costello

The Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D., travels to the Middle East today where he will attend the International Pledging Conference for Syria. The Conference which takes place in Kuwait on Wednesday will be chaired by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

Ahead of the Conference the Minister will visit Dubai where he will participate in a number of trade promotion events to coincide with "Arab Health" the largest healthcare exhibition and medical congress in the Middle East. For the first time Enterprise Ireland has organised an Irish pavilion at the Congress, where 14 Irish firms will be represented. The Minister will be supporting these medical technology companies to expand their businesses in the rapidly growing Middle East healthcare market.

Building on the existing links between Ireland and the Emirates, Minister Costello will also be guest of honour at a networking event jointly hosted by the Irish Embassy, Enterprise Ireland and the Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Minister Costello will also meet with the UAE Minister of Economy, H.E. Sultan Al Mansouri to discuss bilateral trade between the two countries. In 2011, two-way trade between Ireland and the UAE was worth more than €900m.

Speaking ahead of the events Minister Costello said:

"More and more Irish companies are looking at expanding their business in the Middle East and Dubai is the main hub for entry into these markets.

"Ireland is a world leader in medical technology and I am delighted to join with Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Embassy in supporting these Irish companies to promote their products and services at Arab Health.

"Medical technology, and the wider life-sciences sectors, have been resilient during the economic downturn and are of enormous importance to Ireland's recovery and growth".