British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Will Meet US President Joe Biden Rishi Sunak’s visit to Northern Ireland. Which is expected to generate long-term investment for the country.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet US Vice President Joe Biden in Northern Ireland next week. As he arrives to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace deal. After helping to broker the 1998 agreement, the US has remained a strong voice in Northern Ireland politics. Which is seeking to defend the peace from the tensions produced by Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Sunak will meet Biden when Air Force One arrives on Tuesday evening. For what will be a widely anticipated visit to both sides of the Irish border at a time of increased political uncertainty in Northern Ireland.
Sunak will hold a gala dinner to honour the occasion on Wednesday, according to his office. Which also provided some itinerary details.
Biden, who is often proud of his Irish ancestors, will also spend time in the Irish Republic, visiting Dublin and his two family houses.
The Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement, reached on April 10, 1998, effectively ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland that had raged since the late 1960s.
However, the anniversary has been overshadowed by a year-long boycott of the power-sharing devolved government. That is crucial to the peace settlement by Northern Ireland’s strongest pro-British unionist party. The Democratic Unionist Party is enraged by post-Brexit trade laws. That treat the province differently than the rest of the United Kingdom.
The threat level in Northern Ireland was raised from domestic terrorism to “severe” in March. Indicating that an attack is extremely likely, however the move was not assumed to be related to the anniversary.
Biden battled with the British government at times during the Brexit negotiations. But he has lately spoken out in support of a recently reached UK-EU pact. To ease some of the issues produced by the original Brexit agreement.
Although that agreement has so far failed to restore Northern Ireland’s devolved government. Sunak will seek to strengthen his support for the region by proposing a summit later this year to attract international investment.
