Ireland’s refreshed strategy for the Asia Pacific highlights stepping up engagement with India, marking a shift from its past focus on China, Ireland’s Ambassador to India, Kevin Kelly, said. In an interview with businessline, Kelly talks about the growing economic and diplomatic relations, the immense potential of the India-EU FTA, and Irish collaboration in this year’s Durga Puja celebrations. Excerpts:
Bilateral trade between India and Ireland has been robust, particularly regarding Irish exports to India. How do you see it growing?
I think there is a huge scope for growth. We have about €10 billion in annual two-way trade. Our economy is currently the fastest-growing in the EU. There are also real opportunities because of Brexit. It has put us in a good position as a country like India that wants to have easy access not just to the UK, because we have a common travel area, but also to the market of 550 million people in the EU.
We have a pro-business government, competitive tax rates, and a consistent tax regime. It is not the case that when governments change, the tax rates go up and down.
There are about 30 Indian companies already investing in Ireland, including Infosys, Wipro, and Biocon, as well as some smaller companies.
In your Asia Pacific strategy, are you placing a stronger emphasis on India?
In the past, a lot of energy in our Asia Pacific strategy went into our relationship with China and building trade. However, the new Asia Pacific strategy has a more balanced approach. It steps up our engagement with India in all areas—in terms of education, greater political links, and partnerships with the Indian government in a whole range of areas at the UN and other international multilateral forums, as well as in trade and the economy.
We established a new consulate in Mumbai, where we have our staff and two trade agencies: one to promote FDI from India and the other to support Irish companies that want to invest in India.
We have 10,000 Indians coming to study in Irish universities every year and a very attractive visa regime for them, allowing a two-year work permit. The number of Indian students is expected to grow further this year.
While this (focus on India) may be about Ireland not wanting to overly rely on China, it is more about deepening our relationship with India on its own merit.
Are there specific sectors that have been identified for increased collaboration?
We are in discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs to establish a Joint Economic Commission between Ireland and India to explore particular sectors where we might have deeper collaboration. This could include the digital space, AI, agri-tech, and a wide range of other sectors where we want to see how we can provide support for both sides to collaborate more.
What are your expectations from the long-drawn negotiations for the proposed India-EU FTA?
We think it’s a win-win situation. There are going to be certain challenges, and these things take a long time. It is not just India; the FTA between the EU and Canada took a long time to negotiate. However, I don’t think we should lose hope. We need to keep building momentum.
Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata seem to be more exciting this year with Irish collaboration. Could you share a bit on this?
I came to India this time last year, and the first place I visited outside Delhi was Kolkata. The Durga Puja celebrations blew my mind, so I had this idea: why don’t we do an Irish-Kolkata collaboration? We got our Irish street art (giant puppetry) and theatre group Macnas to work with a Kolkata group called Behala Nutan Dal. We are forming a partnership with the Hindu Goddess Durga and the Celtic goddess Danu. We created a giant Danu figure made from natural Indian materials—a mixture of bamboo, steel, lights, water, and music. The whole idea is to celebrate the divine feminine through an Indian goddess and an Irish goddess.