The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, the Honourable Mohlabi Kenneth Tsekoa has been on a two day working visit in Ireland from the 30 June to 01 July, 2014. The main purpose of the visit was to declare Lesotho’s commitment to the existing bilateral relations between Lesotho and Ireland.

The Honourable Minister met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Eamon Gilmore TD (Member of Parliament) as well as the Minister of State for Trade and Development Mr. Joe Costello TD.

The Hon. Minister M. Tsekoa and H.E. Mr. Gilmore TD.         The Hon. Minister and Mr. Costello TD.

During the deliberations, His Excellency Mr. Gilmore assured the Honourable Minister that the closure of the Irish Embassy in Maseru will not affect the longstanding fraternal relations existing between the two countries and that it will not diminish the current development assistance that Ireland has been providing to Lesotho since the 1970s. He also assured the Minister that although the Embassy is closing down, the physical presence of Irish Aid will be maintained in Lesotho through at least one Irish official.

In response, the Honourable Minister highlighted the proud partnership road travelled by the two countries particularly in the areas of education, health, rural development and governance, where Lesotho benefited the most. He also expressed hope that circumstances permitting, the Irish Government will consider reopening the Embassy in Lesotho in future. He remained optimistic that the nearly completed Lesotho Country Strategy Paper will be approved by both Governments in August 2014 in order to enable implementation of priority projects funded by the Irish Government.

The Honourable Tsekoa also met representatives of Action Ireland Trust and Action Lesotho, which are Irish based NGOs having development projects in Lesotho.

The Hon. Minister and members of Action            The Hon. Minister, Ambassador Phamotse and

Ireland Trust                                                               represetatives of Action Lesotho

The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations was accompanied by the Ambassador of Lesotho to Ireland, His Excellency Mr. Paramente Phamotse and the Director for Europe and Americas Ms. Itumeleng Rafutho.

03 July 2014

Yesterday, the Embassy of Lesotho and other African embassies resident in Ireland took part in the celebrations of the Africa Day at Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park, in Dublin. The event is organized by the Government of Ireland and African embassies every year to mark the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Thousands of spectators of diverse nationalities, mostly Africans, attended this year’s event whereby music, food, culture and art from different African countries were showcased.

Minister Joe Costello TD welcomed to the Lesotho stall by Ambassador Phamotse

Speaking at the event, the Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, and the Dean of African ambassadors to Ireland and Moroccan Ambassador, H.E. Anas Khales highlighted the importance of celebrating and maintaining the longstanding partnership between Ireland and Africa.  The theme for this year’s Africa Day in Ireland is ‘Partners for Growth’.

Some of the visitors at the Lesotho stall.

26 May 2014

2 teachers and 4 students from Holy Names High School in the Leribe District were in Ireland from 25^th March to 4^th April 2014 as part of the exchange programme between their school and Schull Community College in Cork under the auspices of Irish Aid WorldWise Global Schools (WWGS) Programme. The Programme’s aim is to enhance development education in post-primary schools. Yesterday the visitors attended the Global Schools annual conference and exhibition in Croke Park, Dublin. Also in attendance was Portmarnock Community School which has a partnership with Hlalele High School in Maseru.

Ambassador Phamotse with the teachers and students from Holy Names High School      

Ambassador Phamotse and students from PCS at the conference

Meanwhile two teachers from Dahon High School visited Ireland in the beginning of March 2014 as part of the school’s exchange programme with Regina Mundi College in Cork.

Ambassador Phamotse delivering a speech during a visit to Regina Mundi College.

04 April 2014

We wish to inform that the Embassy has relocated to the following address with effect from the 10 March 2014.

Visiting and Postal Address

52 Upper Mount Street,

Dublin 2,

Ireland

All other details of the Embassy (telephone number, fax number, email address and website) remain unchanged.

Today the Honourable Minister of Finance Dr. Leketekete Ketso delivered a Budget Speech for the Fiscal Year 2014/15 to the Parliament of Lesotho. The underlying theme for this year’s budget is “Beyond Stability Towards Economic Transformation That Works - Addressing Implementation”. This is the second budget to be passed by a three-party coalition government since it took over in 2012.

The full text of the Budget Speech can be found here

20 February 2014

Today a team of 87 volunteers from Ireland under the auspices of Action Ireland Trust left Dublin for Lesotho to implement the third phase of their five-year integrated programme in the Country. The main components of the programme include capacity building of teachers, farmers and planners and provision of medical services, at the selected institutions. The travelling group comprises students, teachers, parents, medical professionals, agricultural experts and planners.

The group has also included eco-tourism activities in their programme while in Lesotho. This year the team will visit Kome Caves and Malealea.

The team will arrive in Lesotho on the 08 February and depart on the 20 February 2014.

The Team at Dublin Airport just before departure.

07February 2014

The Embassy wishes to inform all Lesotho Nationals that, following the introduction of national identity document (ID) and the new E-passports in Lesotho, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho in Ireland has started accepting applications for these documents. Citizens should note that only those who have already acquired valid new birth certificates, which are obtainable in Lesotho, can submit their applications for an ID and passport.

For more information on this matter, Lesotho citizens are encouraged to contact a Lesotho Embassy accredited to their country of residence. The contact details are available on this website.

23 January, 2014

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho took part in the Matka 2014 Nordic Travel Fair that was held in Helsinki, Finland, on the 16-19 January 2014. The Fair provided a platform for the Embassy to raise awareness about Lesotho and to promote it as a desired tourist destination for the Nordic travelers.  The Fair also gave the Embassy the opportunity to forge partnerships with some of the tour operators who took part in the event.

Statistics released by the organizers of the Fair show that 969 exhibitors took part in this year’s Fair. Statistics also show that the event attracted 66, 904 visitors from Finland and abroad. 13, 261 of them were travel trade professionals.

More information on Travel to Lesotho is available here.

                                                                                                                                       21 January, 2014