Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he has no concerns about Apple's future in Ireland after meeting with the company's CEO Tim Cook in Silicon Valley.
The two men discussed Apple lodging an appeal against the European Commission tax ruling and the lodgement of some of the disputed €13 billion into a holding account.
Mr Kenny is on a three-day visit to the United States focusing on business and investment connections.
Taoiseach @EndaKennyTD and @Apple CEO Tim Cook meeting at Apple HQ in Silicon Valley. Tax, Brexit & Irish operations on the agenda. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/A6UgtZJqPs
— Caitriona Perry (@CaitrionaPerry) December 1, 2016
This was the first time that the Taoiseach and Mr Cook have met since the European Commission ruled that Ireland had granted illegal state aid to Apple in the form of undue tax benefits, and that Apple owed €13 billion in back taxes.
Along with Brexit and the incoming Donald Trump administration, the issue of Apple's tax bill in Ireland topped the agenda of the meeting, which was described as "warm and good".
Speaking afterwards, Mr Kenny said the two men had discussed the expansion of operations in Cork, and "the process in regard to the further development by Apple at Athenry" where the company wants to build a data centre.
He said the men had discussed Apple lodging its appeal against the European Commission ruling which it has not done yet.
In relation to the requirement for Apple to deposit funds into an escrow account, Mr Kenny said Mr Cook told him that they were "working" on it and that "there are a number of issues to be worked out there and obviously they want to get on with that as we do as well".
He said that Mr Cook had not sought to renegotiate any terms for its tax arrangements in Ireland.
The Taoiseach said that he reassured Mr Cook that Ireland would remain in the EU and like every other Member State "has competence" in respect of its own tax rate and that it would remain at 12.5%.
He said he did not have "any reason to believe" that there would be anything else in the European Commission final report that was not contained in the original draft due out soon.
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Mr Kenny also visited Facebook's headquarters to meet executives from that company and the wider Bay Area as he attends a meeting of the region's economic council.
Earlier, he met Jackie and George Donohoe, whose daughter Ashley and niece Olivia were among the six young people killed in last year's balcony collapse in Berkeley.
