Visit of the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales to Dublin
A brief two day visit to Dublin by the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales saw one of the most interesting aviation visitors in the form of Falcon 900EX, FAB-001 visit. Ireland was the final stop for President Morales, on a programme which included visits to France, Germany and Italy. The president’s aircraft touched down on runway 28 16:13 on Saturday 7th November.
FAB-001, Falcon 900EX of the Bolivian Air Force arriving in Dublin. Gerry Barron
President Morales visit to Ireland was historic, in that it was the first to Ireland, by a Head of State from the South American country. The visit was intended to strengthen ties between Ireland and Bolivia. President Morales was received by President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin at 18:00 and he then met the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Charles Flanagan, together with his officials, at the Department’s offices in Stephen’s Green. At the meeting the focus was on trade and political links and issues such as climate change.
Minister Charlie Flanagan with the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales.
“I welcome this historic visit – the first by a Head of State from Bolivia – and I hope that President Morales’ trip to Ireland will assist our efforts to strengthen relations with Bolivia and Latin America more generally,” Minister Flanagan said in a statement.
“Links between our two countries have grown in recent years – not least in the area of trade, which is increasing steadily, albeit from a low base. I am also conscious of the important role played by Bolivia on the global stage in areas such as climate change and sustainable development” he added.
Minister Flanagan also raised the case of Michael Dwyer, the Irishman killed by Bolivian security forces in 2009. Shortly afterwards Caroline Dwyer, the mother of the late Michael Dwyer, met the Bolivian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence. She described the meeting, held in the Department of Foreign Affairs, which finished just before 21:00, as positive. She said the ministers committed to an independent international inquiry into her son’s death and said they would facilitate this process.
While in Ireland, President Morales also managed a visit to a dairy processing plant, as well as attending an event with the Bolivian community. An agreement was also signed between Bolivia and Ireland’s Higher Education Authority, on cooperation on Higher Education, between the two countries. On Sunday 8th November, FAB-001 departed at 12:07 with President Morales and his party on board, after a visit of just 16 hours.
About the Author
Jim Lee Jim has had a life-long interest in military matters and aviation. Initially, he fused both of these interests together with a passion for military aviation, initially as a photographer. He has travelled extensively over the years and has been the guest of many European air forces, plus the air forces of the United States, Russia and others throughout the world. His first introduction to journalism coincided with an interest in the civil aviation industry was when he initially wrote for and later edited, ‘Aviation Ireland’, the club magazine of the Aviation Society of Ireland. Jim was a contributor to Flying in Ireland since its inception over 10 years ago and is now a key contributor to this site. He has also contributed items for a number of other aviation magazines and has produced a number of detailed contributions to Government policy documents, most recently the Irish Government’s White Paper on Defence. He is also deeply involved in the local community and voluntary sector and has worked both in local government and central government.
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