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Minister Charlie Flanagan to represent Governmemnt at the state funeral of Shimon Peres

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD., will represent the Government at the state funeral of Shimon Peres in Jerusalem tomorrow (Friday).

Prior to his departure, Minister Flanagan said:

“I am honoured to represent Ireland at the state funeral of Shimon Peres. Mr. Peres was a visionary who recognised that the two-state solution is a paramount interest for the people of Israel. I hope that his life and his leadership will inspire political leaders committed to establishing lasting peace in the region to make that aspiration a reality.”

Mr. Peres had a very distinguished political career over seven decades. He was a key architect of the Oslo Accords and the Middle East Peace Programme, and a determined advocate for the pursuit of a peace agreement between Israel and its neighbours.

Minister Flanagan visited Israel and Palestine in 2015 and again in June 2016 to encourage local leaders to work to reach a peace agreement.