President Joe Biden has urged political leaders in Northern Ireland to resolve their differences, promising dozens of major US companies are ready to invest in the region.
Recall that the President is in Northern Ireland as part of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.
Biden met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before traveling to the Republic of Ireland, where he will meet officials from the country and, in addition, meet his distant relatives (remember that Joe Biden has Irish roots).
“Today Belfast is the beating heart of Northern Ireland and has the potential to offer (potential investors) unprecedented economic opportunities. Dozens of big American companies want to come here to invest,†Biden said, speaking at Ulster University to leaders of Northern Ireland’s five main political parties.
The distribution of power remains a crucial issue for Northern Ireland’s future, the president said, and effective devolved government “will bring even more opportunity to the region”.
“I think sometimes, especially at a historic distance, we forget how much this world has been deserved,” Biden said. “Peace was not inevitable. We must never forget that.”
“Supporting the people of Northern Ireland, protecting the peace, keeping the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement going is a priority for Democrats and Republicans in the United States, and that is unusual today because there are major divisions between our parties,” said the president. . “That’s what unites Washington. It unites America.”
Sunak said he spoke to Biden on Wednesday about the “incredible economic opportunity” for Northern Ireland and called the United States and the United Kingdom “very close partners.”
Biden pointed out that the recent Windsor Framework Agreement between the EU and the UK aimed at easing trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit offers stability and predictability, which encourages more investments.
That deal has so far failed to convince the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to stop protesting post-Brexit trade rules. The rules for Northern Ireland are different from those for other parts of the UK.
Biden will spend three days in the Republic of Ireland. He will speak in Dublin before the country’s parliament, meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and visit the homes of his ancestors on both coasts.
Read the latest news about the Ukraine conflict on The Eastern Herald .
