New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): Irish Ambassador to India, Kevin Kelly, hailed the importance of ties between New Delhi and Dublin and expressed optimism for the potential of growth between the nations, cutting across sectors such as education, trade and investment.

He made the remarks on Tuesday while attending the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Speaking to ANI, Ambassador Kelly said, 'We are here to mark St. Patrick's Day. We celebrate it every year all around the world on March 17. For us in India, it's extra special because we have such a strong relationship historically with India and a great future ahead. Between trades and investment and education, there are a lot of things that we are going to do together.'

On the bilateral ties, he remarked, 'The relationship is going from strength to strength. Our relationship with India is very important. It goes back to the early times when we were fighting for independence, to today, when there are Indian companies investing in Ireland and Irish companies investing here in India. So I see great potential for the future.'

India and Ireland share longstanding ties and have sustained interactions across several areas of collaboration.

In February, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a high-level meeting with Jack Chambers, Ireland's Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform, and Digitalisation.

The discussions centred on strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two nations by leveraging their shared status as innovation-driven democracies. The meeting served as a platform to showcase India's rapid technological transformation and to identify new avenues for deeper cooperation in the digital economy.

The meeting also touched upon international cooperation within the framework of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). India is actively seeking global support for its bid to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030 (PP-2030), a move that would solidify its position as a global leader in telecommunications policy. By seeking Ireland's endorsement, India aims to build a consensus among democratic nations to lead the global digital discourse toward inclusive and ethical technological growth.

In an interview with ANI in February, Chambers hailed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU), noting the 'limitless level' of growth of business opportunities between the two 'big trading blocs. The Irish minister said that both parties in the deal will have reciprocal trade benefits.

Highlighting strong India-Ireland trade ties, he mentioned that business between the two countries has grown by 90 per cent in the last 10 years.

Jack Chamber said, 'There are huge opportunities in the future, before the free trade agreement between the European Union and India. Trade between Ireland and India grew by 90 per cent in the last 10 years. We expect trade between the European Union and India to double in the next seven years. So there's a limitless level of opportunity for growth between businesses and amongst our two countries.'

'I'm really excited about the free trade agreement that's been agreed, and it's only positive for the future. We have strong people-to-people links, very much pro-enterprise policies across our two countries, and I really look forward to seeing what will come from this, and part of my visit over the next number of days is really trying to leverage that and show how both businesses in both countries can really drive opportunities to increase their market share,' he added.

Further, Chambers said that the FTA, amid an uncertain global trade climate, will increase opportunities for citizens in India and Europe. (ANI)