Türkiye’s Dublin Embassy hosts Akar-led delegation at EU defense conference

A delegation led by Hulusi Akar, chair of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s National Defense Commission, visited Türkiye’s embassy in Dublin while attending the EU interparliamentary conference on foreign policy and defense. Akar also met Turkish citizens living in Ireland at the embassy.

Türkiye’s Embassy in Dublin hosted the Turkish delegation led by Hulusi Akar, chair of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s National Defense Commission, which attended the Interparliamentary Conference on the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

In a statement issued on November 7, the embassy said it was honored to host the delegation in the Irish capital for the conference. Photographs taken at the embassy showed Akar standing with Ambassador Esra Cankorur in front of the Irish and Turkish flags.

Hulusi Akar and Ambassador Esra Cankorur with a delegation member at Türkiye’s Dublin Embassy

Meeting Turkish citizens in Ireland

In a statement on the visit, Akar said they had met students, academics, workers and entrepreneurs from the Turkish community living in Ireland at the embassy. Akar thanked Ambassador Esra Cankorur and the embassy staff for their gracious hospitality.

Published photographs showed citizens filling the embassy’s hall, taking commemorative photos with Akar and the delegation, and talking with them.

Hulusi Akar with Turkish citizens living in Ireland at Türkiye’s Dublin Embassy

EU foreign policy and defense agenda in Dublin

The conference, included in Ireland’s program as holder of the rotating EU Council presidency, was held in Dublin from November 4 to 6. The meeting was hosted by Ireland’s Parliament, the Oireachtas, and jointly chaired by its Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade and Committee on Defence and National Security.

According to the presentation of Ireland’s EU Council presidency, the conference provides a platform for members of national parliaments and the European Parliament to exchange information and views on the EU’s foreign, security and defense policies. Experts and politicians from Ireland and across Europe were also invited to the meeting.

Hulusi Akar, who has served as minister of national defense and chief of the general staff, has chaired the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s National Defense Commission as a Kayseri lawmaker since 2023.

75th anniversary of diplomatic relations

According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Türkiye and Ireland established diplomatic relations in 1951, making 2026 the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Türkiye’s Embassy in Dublin began operating on December 10, 1973. The two countries’ parliaments also have friendship groups: the Türkiye-Ireland Interparliamentary Friendship Group in the Turkish Grand National Assembly was established in November 2023, while the Ireland-Türkiye Interparliamentary Friendship Group in Ireland was established in July 2025.

Photos: Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Dublin, Hulusi Akar

Türkiye’s Dublin Embassy hosts Akar-led delegation at EU defense conference