A NEW Irish Ambassador to Britain has arrived at the Irish Embassy in London.
Sonja Hyland, who was previously Deputy Secretary General for the Irish Government’s Ireland, UK and Americas Division, has taken up the position.
“I am very pleased to have taken up my post as Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain at this time of great momentum and energy in our bilateral relationship,” Ms Hyland said.
“Ireland and Britain are longstanding, likeminded partners and neighbours,” she added.
New Irish Ambassador to Britain Sonja Hyland presented her credentials to the Foreign Office's Scott Furssedonn-Wood this week“We are inevitably linked together by our shared history and geography, our people to people connections and deep trade links, but also by our ambitious shared vision of the future.”
Ms Hyland takes over from outgoing Ambassador Martin Fraser who held the position since 2022.
He has moved onto a new role as the Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
This week Ms Hyland presented copies of her credentials to Scott Furssedonn-Wood, the Director of Protocol and Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London.
The meeting formally marked the start of her posting in London.
Ambassador Hyland has previously served as Ambassador to Ethiopia and Mexico. For her newest post she has vowed to further build relations between Britain and Ireland.
“Our Governments have committed to working together on key issues affecting both of our islands, such as infrastructure, energy, trade, security policy, research, and culture, to deliver tangible benefits for people, communities, and businesses right across the UK and Ireland,” she said.
Ambassador Hyland has formally taken up the position this week (Pics: Irish Embassy London)“This builds on our shared responsibility as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the framework for relationships across these islands, which sets out a vision for a more prosperous and peaceful future, based on cooperation, mutual respect, and trust.
“These values find expression in the thriving people-to-people links between Ireland and Britain, the bedrock of our partnership,” she added.
Ambassador Sonja Hyland has begun her term in London“Every day, in community halls and boardrooms, in classrooms, or on the playing fields, new connections between our islands are forged and existing ones strengthened.
“The depth and variety of our links reflects the dynamism and diversity of the Irish community in Britain, and I look forward to getting to know many of you during my time here.”
During Ms Hyland’s time as Ambassador to Britain the Irish Government is set to open Ireland House in the capital – where all the Irish state agencies operating in London will be housed in one building.
Ambassador Hyland has described is as a “landmark moment”.
“By bringing all the State Agencies in Britain under one roof for the first time, we will ensure that Team Ireland is in the best position possible to continue to strengthen our relationship with Britain in the years ahead," she said.
“It is a concrete expression of the Irish Government’s enduring commitment to the British–Irish relationship and to our community here, marking the opening of a new chapter in the story of Ireland in Britain.”
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