Relationship dossier
Ireland
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Practical bilateral cooperation alongside differences over human rights
Ireland toward Saudi Arabia
+5The Irish government has engaged Saudi Arabia through bilateral arrangements, including a tax treaty, while publicly condemning the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi and calling for accountability.
Saudi Arabia toward Ireland
+15The Saudi government has participated in bilateral arrangements with Ireland, including a tax treaty, and has maintained practical engagement in areas such as aviation and education. The breadth of this cooperation is unclear.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines practical bilateral arrangements with differences over human rights. The tax treaty and cooperation in areas including aviation and education provide a basis for engagement, while Ireland's response to the Khashoggi killing illustrates a significant point of disagreement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ireland and Saudi Arabia have maintained practical bilateral engagement, including a tax treaty and cooperation in areas such as aviation and education. Relations have also involved differences over human rights; Ireland condemned the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and called for accountability. The scope and implementation of wider bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Human rights concerns, including the killing of Jamal Khashoggi
Key developments
Ireland and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation.
The Irish government condemned the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and called for accountability.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation beyond tax and aviation arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of direct bilateral engagement on human rights and regional conflicts is uncertain.