The Minister for foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen and his German counterpart Mr Joschka Fischer met in Berlin today to discuss the European Union's plans to expand eastwards, the two men said.
Mr Fischer said they had also touched upon the situation in the Middle East and the US plan for a national missile defence (NMD) shield.
He said he had been "particularly interested" in what Mr Brian Cowen had to say on the Northern Ireland peace process.
Mr Cowen for his part spoke of an "increased momentum" in the Northern Ireland peace process.
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As regards EU enlargement, he said Ireland hoped to ratify this by way of a referendum this summer.
The Irish people wanted eastern European countries to benefit from EU membership in the way Ireland had, he said.
AFP