Simon Coveney has said that he accepts "mistakes were made" during the appointment of Katherine Zappone as Ireland's UN Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
Earlier, the former minister said that she would not be accepting the position and said that the "criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself."
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has since commented on the issue following Zappone's decision.
Minister Coveney said: "I note the statement from Dr Katherine Zappone stating she will not now take up a special envoy position.
"I understand her decision and thank her for being willing to work on Ireland's human rights priorities.
"For my part, I accept that mistakes were made in how this appointment was brought to Government and lessons will be learnt from that."
Earlier this afternoon, Ms Zappone said: "While I am honoured to have been appointed by the Government to be the Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself.
"It is my conviction that a Special Envoy role can only be of real value to Ireland and to the global community if the appointment is acceptable to all parties.
"For this reason, I have decided not to accept this appointment, and I have communicated my decision to the Minister for Foreign Affairs," the statement added.
Zappone faced scrutiny on Wednesday after details emerged that she held a 50-person event at the Merrion Hotel six days before her appointment which was attended by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar.
Ms Zappone said the hotel had assured her the event was in line with Covid-19 guidelines and the hotel has also insisted it adhered to all guidelines in place.
The former minister was controversially appointed without competition to a Special Envoy role for freedom of expression by Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney at last week's Cabinet meeting.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin did not have any prior knowledge of the proposal going to Cabinet, and several TDs expressed their frustration over the process.
Earlier this evening, Tànaiste Leo Varadkar also said that he's “confident” that Covid-19 regulations were not breached at the event.
The Attorney General has also now advised the Government that parties up to 200 people are permitted outdoors.
Mr Varadkar confirmed he attended the Zappone event on July 21 - six days before the former Minister was appointed by the Government as Special Envoy for freedom of expression.
In the same statement, the Government sought the advice of the Attorney General on whether the event held at the Merrion was compliant with the guidelines.
A spokesman said: “The Government has been advised by the Attorney General that regulations provide for organised outdoor events and gatherings up to 200 people, including social, recreational, exercise, cultural, entertainment or community events.”
However, the Government has said this 200 limit does not include an event to be held in a dwelling, a wedding reception, a sporting event or a training event.
The Government also said that further updates will be made to the guidelines “to ensure that people have clarity about how organised outdoor events may operate into the future.”
Tanáiste Leo Varadkar has confirmed that he was in communication with Ms Zappone and with the hotel management on arrival, but he's confident that the event was compliant with Covid regulations.
He said: “I was present for about 45 minutes, spoke to Dr Zappone briefly and listened to her speech before returning to work.
“The event took place entirely outdoors.
“I always strive to adhere to Covid restrictions and as a public representative I try to be extra careful in that regard.”
Mr Varadkar repeated the advice from the Attorney General and said “I am confident these regulations were not breached.”
The Fine Gael leader said he accepted “that mistakes were made in the manner in which Dr Zappone was appointed a special envoy and regret the controversy it’s caused.”
Mary Lou McDonald has called for greater transparency and the name of all 50people who attended the event at the Merrion Hotel to be published.
In a post online, the Sinn Fèin leader said: "Now we need accountability from Govt for the lack of process/ procedure in this attempted appointment. The guest list for Merrion Hotel function must also be made public. The days of funding jobs for the boys & girls on the inside track with tax payers money must come to an end."
