External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Sunday congratulated Micheal Martin on assuming office as Tanaiste (deputy head of the government) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence of Ireland. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar stated that he looked forward to working together to further bolster ties between the two nations.
EAM Jaishankar tweeted, "Congratulations @MichealMartinTD on assuming office as Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence of Ireland. Look forward to working together to further strengthen our ties." Notably, Martin served as Ireland's Taoiseach (head of the government) from 2020 to 2022.
Indian-Origin Leo Varadkar takes over from Micheal Martin, who assumes Varadkar's previous role as Tanaiste in the rotation agreement signed in 2020. On December 17, Micheal Martin called it an "honour of a lifetime" to serve as Taoiseach.
In a video shared on Twitter, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said, "I'm just on my way to the Aras to meet the President. It's been the honour of a lifetime to serve you as Taoiseach. Looking forward to the second phase of this Government. We've done a lot, and we've still lots to do."
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Leo Varadkar on assuming office as Ireland's Taoiseach (head of the government). Taking to his official Twitter handle, PM Modi said that he values the historical ties, shared constitutional values and multi-faceted cooperation between India and Ireland.
PM Modi tweeted, "Congratulations @LeoVaradkar on assuming office as Taoiseach for the second time. Highly value our historical ties, shared constitutional values & multi-faceted cooperation with Ireland. Look forward to working together to realise the full potential of our vibrant economies."
Notably, Leo Varadkar has been elected for the second time as Taoiseach by 87 votes in favour, 62 votes against him and one abstention in Dail, the lower house of Ireland's Parliament, The Irish Times reported. He received the seal of office from Ireland's President Michael D Higgins. After receiving the seals from Ireland's President Michael D Higgins, Leo Varadkar said that he is "honoured and privileged" to have been given the opportunity to serve again.
"I'm honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to serve again. And I look forward to getting down to the hard work in the next few hours," The Irish Times quoted Leo Varadkar as saying.
In the new cabinet, Michael McGrath has been given the Department of Finance, and Simon Coveney gets the Department of Enterprise and Trade portfolio, according to The Irish Times. Stephen Donnelly will continue to serve as Minister for Health. In total, there are 15 members in the cabinet under Varadkar.
( With inputs from ANI )
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