Facebook is to base its international headquarters in Dublin, it was announced today.

The centre will house the social networking website's technical, sales and operations staff, catering for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and is expected to create 70 jobs.

The website joins Google, Amazon and eBay in establishing headquarters in the Irish capital. Its commercial office in London will be unaffected by the operational headquarters in Dublin.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, said: "After exploring various locations throughout the region, we decided Ireland was the best place to establish our new headquarters.

She added: "The talent pool in Dublin is world class and recruiting local talent will help us better understand the needs of local users and the regional dynamics that, in turn, can give us better insight into what features matter most.”

Mary Coughlan, the Republic of Ireland's Enterprise Minister, said: “Facebook has fast become a worldwide name and it is a terrific endorsement that Ireland can satisfy the needs of such highly innovative and technologically advanced companies as they make critical investments."

Facebook, which estimates it has 110 million active users, is the world's most popular social networking website. Last year, Microsoft paid $240 million (£136 million) for a 1.6 per cent stake of the website, valuing the company at $15 billion.

Its global headquarters are in Palo Alto, California.

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