President Michael D Higgins hosted the Aga Khan at a reception in Áras an Uachtaráin on Saturday marking the Shia Muslim leader’s 60th anniversary in office.

The occasion honoured the conclusion of Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini’s, (Aga Khan IV) accession to the Imamat, the institution and office of spiritual leadership of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.

The Aga Khan’s Diamond Jubilee year concluded on July 11th last.

The Aga Khan is visiting Ireland after the holding of the Nations’ Cup at the Dublin Horse Show, the international show jumping competition which was established with help of the late Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan.

The two leaders expressed a commitment to work together to “support sustainable development and the strengthening of civil society to improve the quality of life of poor and marginalised communities,” a spokesman for the President said.

The Aga Khan, whose family’s engagement with Ireland’s equine industry and related economic development spans three generations also heads the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s largest private international development agencies.