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Visit of the delegation led by Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Puri to Ireland for commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Air India Kanishka (AI 182) bombing

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Shri. Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, led a high level delegation to Ireland comprising senior legislators from Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, UP, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi to represent Government of India at the Commemoration Event held on 23 June 2025 marking the 40th Anniversary of the Air India Kanishka (AI 182) bombing.

  1. Prime Minister of Ireland, H.E. Mr. Micheál Martin and Minister of Public Safety of Canada, H.E. Mr. Gary Anandasangaree attended the event at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork, Ireland hosted by the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr. Joe Carroll. A number of families of the victims also attended the event.
  1. Hon’ble Minister Shri. Hardeep Singh Puri laid a wreath and paid homage to the victims of the AI 182 bombing tragedy. Shri. Hardeep Singh Puri paid tributes to the community of Ahakista and people of Ireland for the spirit with whichthey rose to the occasion in solidarity with the families of the  He reiterated that the bombing of Air India AI 182, an act of terrorism, was a stain on humanity and called upon the global community to remember the shared responsibility for fighting terrorism.
  2. Speakingon the occasion, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety noted that "the bombing of Air India Flight 182, 40 years ago, remains the single worst act of terrorism and mass murder in Canadian history”. The Irish Prime Minister termed the bombing as cruel and horrific, adding that the passing of time did not dim the scale of loss and that 
  3. During the visit, the Hon’ble Minister and the delegation also addressed a gathering of family members of victims of the AI 182 flight tragedy and Indian diaspora members in a solemn ceremony held at the Embassy of India premises in Dublin. Hon’ble Minister conveyed India’s continued support for the family members of the victims and stressed on India’s firm stand on combating terrorism and the requirement of strong international cooperation and understanding on the matter. The delegation also interacted with the Media during the visit.

Cork, Ireland

June 24, 2025