WASHINGTON (CU)_US President Jose Biden hosted Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin for a virtual bilateral meeting on St. Patrick’s Day, during which he underscored his commitment to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which has been the bedrock of peace, stability, and prosperity in Northern Ireland.
The US President said on Wednesday (17 March) that it was “critically important” to maintain Northern Ireland’s peace process, adding that the political and economic stability of the European nation is “very much in the interest of all our people”.
In a joint statement the two leaders underlined the importance of preserving “the hard-won gains” of the peace process for the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and called for the implementation of international agreements in good faith designed to address the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland.
President Biden, who often speaks of his Irish roots with pride, told PM Martin that the White House would be illuminated in green in celebration of “the deep, deep affection” Americans have for Ireland.
The Irish leader, who described President Biden as “the most Irish-American president since John F. Kennedy” thanked the US President for his “unwavering support” of the Good Friday agreement.
“With a new trading relationship now in place between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and a protocol that protects peace and avoids a hard border on this island, I want to move forward with a positive relationship with the United Kingdom,” he said. “That means standing by what has been agreed and working together to make a success of it.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, the European Union launched legal action against Britain over the London’s unilateral decision to extend the grace period before checks are to be carried out on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from other parts of the United Kingdom. Brussels said the move is in breach of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was designed to ensure an open border was maintained on the island of Ireland following Brexit.
A senior US government official said the Biden administration views the dispute as a trade issue that should be resolved between Britain and the EU, and therefore will not take sides.
Nevertheless, the rift has rekindled tensions in the island of Ireland, more than 2 decades after the peace agreement which largely ended decades of bloodshed the European nation.
