Ireland’s National Day celebrations here on March 17 would be used to mark the country’s relations with Saudi Arabia, the country’s ambassador said on Tuesday.

“March 17 is a special day for us and an appropriate occasion to mark the longstanding and positive relationship between Ireland and Saudi Arabia,” Tony Cotter said.

He said that the two countries share views on a range of issues including the Palestinian question and peace initiatives in the region. There is also close trade cooperation.

Cotter said Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton has been scheduled to lead a trade mission to the Kingdom on April 20 and 21, in Jeddah and Riyadh. The delegation would include about 45 companies in sectors such as aviation, agricultural technology, software, services and health care, he said.

In April last year, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn also visited the Kingdom, delivering the keynote address at the 5th International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Education (IECHE) in Riyadh.

He added that Saudi Arabia has become one of Ireland’s most important partners in international education, and hosts over 3,000 Saudi students, a dramatic increase from the 200 students studying there in 2009.

“Twelve Irish higher education institutes also exhibited at the IECHE in 2014. A similar number will exhibit at the 2015 show for the fourth consecutive year,” he said.

Cotter said the priority for Ireland is to further expand the country’s food and technology footprint in Saudi Arabia. He noted that in October 2013, Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney led a trade mission to the Kingdom, which included 45 Irish companies.

“The Irish Dairy Board has invested more than 20 million pounds (SR113.1 million) in a facility in Riyadh which will manufacture cheese specifically for the Saudi and Gulf markets using technology developed in Ireland,” he said.

“Ireland exports 90 percent of what we produce in this sector, and the fact that the milk quota will be lifted in 2015, might create areas for strategic alliances or joint ventures between Irish and Saudi firms,” he said.