No. 441 NAI TSCH/3/S14813A
Memorandum for Government by the Department of External Affairs
'Official Relations with Yugoslavia and Turkey'
Dublin, 10 May 1950
- When the Minister for External Affairs was in Paris early in April, the Turkish Foreign Minister1 suggested to him that there should be direct diplomatic relations between Ireland and Turkey and that, for this purpose, the Turkish Ambassador in Paris2 should be accredited to Ireland in the capacity of Minister Plenipotentiary. The Turkish Ambassador in Paris is a former Foreign Minister of Turkey and is a diplomat of great personal distinction. The Minister for External Affairs undertook to put the Turkish Foreign Minister's suggestion before the Government and to communicate with him again after he had done so.
- From a practical point of view, the amount of official business arising between Ireland and Turkey would normally be very small. On the other hand, the Turkish Government has shown itself particularly friendly and there is some advantage, from our point of view, in having direct contact with Turkey, who is a member both of the OEEC and the Council of Europe. The present suggestion has the additional advantage that the accredition to Ireland of a diplomat already accredited in France would tend to counter any false impressions created by the accredition to this country of representatives already accredited in Great Britain.
- In these circumstances, the Minister for External Affairs recommends that he should inform the Turkish Foreign Minister that the arrangement proposed would be acceptable to the Irish Government. The Turkish action would require to be reciprocated, and the Minister for External Affairs proposes that this should be done by jointly accrediting to Turkey the Irish Minister to the Quirinal.3 The cost of this would be about £150 a year plus the expense of a two or three day visit to Ankara every twelve months or so.
- In accordance with these proposals, the Minister for External Affairs seeks the authority of the Government for the tendering of the necessary advice and authority to the President:-
- to accept the Letters accrediting Monsieur Menemenjoglu, Turkish Ambassador in Paris, to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Ireland;
- to make an address on the occasion of the presentation of his Letters by Monsieur Menemenjoglu in terms to be settled between the Taoiseach and the Minister for External Affairs; and
- to sign the usual Letter of Credence appointing Mr. Denis Devlin, Irish Minister to the Quirinal, to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Turkey.
- The Minister for External Affairs has received a communication from the Yugoslav Ambassador in London stating that the Yugoslav Government propose to substitute, for the existing Honorary Consulate in Dublin, a Consulate General de carrière. The Yugoslav Honorary Consul in Dublin (Mr. George Davey)4 has been informed of the termination of his appointment. The Yugoslav Ambassador asked for an intimation of the Irish Government's approval of this change, which would, of course, involve the appointment of a Yugoslav Consul General in Dublin.5
- The Minister for External Affairs would be glad of an opportunity of discussing this approach with his colleagues at an early meeting of the Government.
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