Microsoft's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith has said the company's commitment to Ireland is steadfast.
Mr Smith was speaking at an event in Dublin at which he was presented with the IDA Ireland Special Recognition Award for Microsoft's contribution to the Irish economy during its 40 year presence in Ireland.
The company employs more than 4,000 people here across software development, engineering, data centres, finance, operations, and sales and marketing services for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.
In November, Microsoft announced the creation of a 550 engineering and research and development jobs in its Dublin office.
The company also owns LinkedIn, which employs a further 2,800 people in Ireland, bringing Microsoft's total Irish-based headcount to 6,800 people.
In his address, Mr Smith said that Ireland had made Microsoft's success possible.
He also said that we continue to live in uncertain times.
"Leaders change, policies change, but I will say this to each of you and to everyone in Ireland and across Europe, when it comes to our company, our partnership with Ireland, and our support for Europe is steadfast," Mr Smith said.
"You can count on that," he added.
Also in his speech, Mr Smith said Microsoft's partnership with Ireland has helped the company to defend the people of Ukraine from cyber attacks and hybrid warfare, and to protect Ukrainian data.
He said that in terms of technology, there is a tendency in Europe to focus on what they do not have.
"Ten years ago, I would come repeatedly to Brussels and they would just say, 'oh my gosh, we don't have a Facebook'," Mr Smith said.
"Now I come and people say 'isn’t it great we don’t have a Facebook!’," he added.
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Speaking to reporters after the event, Mr Smith repeated his message that Microsoft's support for Ireland and Europe is steadfast.
"We've been consistent for four decades here, we'll be consistent in the future," the Microsoft President said.
"We'll be determined to help protect the nation's cybersecurity, support its defence, advance its economic competitiveness, we'll continue to invest.
"I think my message is simple - Ireland can count on us," he added.
The special recognition award was presented to Microsoft by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
"The fact that it has had a presence here for 40 of its 50 years is testament to the value proposition that Ireland offers companies looking to internationalise their business," Mr Martin said.
Microsoft first established a presence in Dublin in 1985 with a small manufacturing operation with less than 100 people.
"IDA Ireland and Microsoft have built a longstanding, trusted partnership over four decades of expansion and growth in Ireland and I look forward to our continued partnership throughout the next decades as the company continues to develop the next wave of AI-powered software and technology," IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan said.
