RESTORING IRELAND’S Embassy to the Vatican could be considered in the future, Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore said.

“We can review the question of having a resident mission to the Vatican when the position relating to the financial and staffing considerations to which I refer changes,’’ he said.

Mr Gilmore said it was with the greatest regret and reluctance that a decision had been made to close Ireland’s embassies to the Holy See and Iran and its representative office in East Timor.

“The decision is in line with the tough choices that the Government must make to address the current economic challenges that face the country,’’ he said.

“Our targets under the EU-IMF programme mean that cuts to public expenditure must be made across a wide range of public services, including our diplomatic service.’’

Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesman Seán Ó Fearghaíl said many people throughout the country – practising Catholics and also those who had a respect for the role the church played in world affairs – were hurt and offended by the closure of the Embassy in the Vatican. Mr Ó Fearghaíl also expressed concern about the other closures.

Mr Gilmore said he agreed with the desirability of maintaining a resident embassy in each of the three states involved.

“However, the difficulty is that we are operating in circumstances where, in the first instance, we are obliged to reduce costs,’’ he added.

“In addition, as a result of the reduction in numbers across the public sector, the number of staff available to the department is declining.’’

It was unfortunate, he said, that the Government could not maintain all of its resident missions and that it had been obliged to make difficult choices.

The Holy See could be effectively and adequately serviced by a senior diplomat based in Dublin, while Iran could be serviced from an embassy in another jurisdiction in the Middle East region. Our Ambassador in Singapore would continue to serve as non-resident ambassador to East Timor, Mr Gilmore said.