Ambassador for Emerald Isle hopes for four years of green shoots
▶ Ireland’s Paul Kavanagh begins his posting to the UAE with visas and trade top of his friendship-building agenda, writes John Dennehy
The visa regime for Emiratis travelling to Ireland is just one area being worked on by the republic’s new ambassador, Paul Kavanagh. Emiratis need a visa to visit Ireland, but Mr Kavanagh hopes for early progress on the matter as he begins his fouryear posting to the UAE.
He arrives in a country with a growing expatriate community of 10,000 Irish.
There are 28 direct flights a week, and two-way trade was valued at €1.6 billion (Dh6.95bn) in 2015. There are Irish societies, Gaelic athletic clubs and the Irish Business Network.
Born in Dublin, Mr Kavanagh has served as Irish representative to the UN, ambassador to France and most recently as the envoy to China. But it was as a young diplomat in the 1980s that he had his first taste of Middle East politics.
The year was 1988. The IranIraq war had dragged on for years. A million people had died and chemical weapons had been used. Then, on secondment to the staff of the UN secretary general, he was part of the team that brokered a ceasefire.
Thirty years on, Mr Kavanagh recalls the fraught negotiations alongside secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar. One of the Iranian advisers was current foreign minister Javad Zarif.
“The secretary general was on the phone to [Saudi] King Fahd and Saddam Hussein,” he says. “Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, was in the room. A deal was reached. In diplomacy, they say timing is everything.”
After the talks, UN postings relating to Yugoslavia, Cyprus and Tokyo followed. In China, Mr Kavanagh’s tenure coincided with a surge in trade between the Asian superpower and Ireland.
“When you do business with the Chinese, trust is a great factor,” he says. “This also applies to doing business with the UAE. You have to know about Liwa, you have to know about places where people came from.
“You don’t arrive in China or here, get off the plane, come in with your catalogue of products, very nice price list and leave that evening with your deal done.”
The Irish embassy in the capital was established in 2009 when Ireland was in the grip of a recession. But it has shaken off the downturn that ended the Celtic Tiger years and Ireland has the fastest-growing economy in the EU. More people from Ireland than ever before are living in the UAE.
The relationship is deep and historic, going beyond mere economics as Irish citizens have contributed to the development of the country. Dubliner Tom Barry became chief executive of Arabtec, the construction giant that built the Burj Khalifa.
Gerald Lawless led the Jumeirah Group at one point, while Colm McLoughlin played a role in establishing the billion-dollar business that is Dubai Duty Free and is now its chief executive.
Many Irish citizens work in health care and education, with Ireland a popular destination for Emirati students, particularly for hundreds of those studying medicine.
Mr Kavanagh’s road map for the next four years is clear: building the political relationship; boosting trade, particularly in food; and building ties in sectors including education and technology. It is also hoped that the visa developments will spur more Emirati tourism to Ireland, which is increasingly halal-friendly.
On issues of concern such as Brexit, Mr Kavanagh is sanguine. The loss of an ally in the EU is worrying but there is also opportunity because Ireland will be the only English-language country in the bloc.
“This is an ideal platform for Emiratis to study inside the EU in the English language. Ireland will also be the only English common law country within the EU after Brexit.”
Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan also fall under his responsibility. There was concern about how the Qatar crisis would affect the 2,000-strong Irish community there but it has not been difficult. “We follow it closely and we are not going to interfere.”
Last Sunday, Mr Kavanagh presented his credentials to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed has strong interests in the equine sector in Ireland, which should come as no surprise considering Ireland is the third-largest producer of thoroughbreds in the world.
It has been a frantic six-week start but outside of the grind, Mr Kavanagh is hoping to realise a dream held since his teens – learning to sail. Living on the seafront in Abu Dhabi works as an incentive.
“The best time to go out for a walk is about 6.30pm,” he says. “It is just like being at home, with slightly different weather.”
The best time to go for a walk is about 6.30pm. It is like being at home, with slightly different weather PAUL KAVANAGH Irish ambassador to the UAE