BELFAST: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Joe Biden at Belfast in Northern Ireland on Wednesday during the US President’s historic visit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
During the bilateral talks, dubbed by some in the British media as a “bi-latte” alluding to a rather brief discussion in a hotel cafe, Biden and Sunak are believed to have covered the range of the “thriving” UK-US relationship.
“They agreed that manipulation of global markets by authoritarian leaders demonstrates, more than ever, the need for like-minded partners to work together to support the economic health and security of our nations,” said a Downing Street readout of the talks.
President Joe Biden said a bright future for Northern Ireland is “just beginning,” pledging enduring American support as he marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The US-brokered deal brought peace to this part of the United Kingdom, but a new political crisis has recently tested its strength.
“It’s up to us to keep this going,” Biden said in a speech at Ulster University.
On his first presidential visit to Northern Ireland, Biden stressed that American investment can help fuel economic growth especially if the fractious politicians in Belfast resolve a stalemate that has put their government on pause.
“Your history is our history,” he said. “And even more important, your future is America’s future.” Biden’s speech navigated Northern Ireland’s complex political currents, referring to his British as well as Irish ancestry, and noting the contribution to the US of largely Protestant Ulster Scots as well as Irish Catholics. US involvement was key to negotiating the Good Friday accord, which ended decades of violence that killed 3,600 people.
Biden credited people who were willing to “risk boldly for the future” by reaching the agreement, reminding the audience that “peace was not inevitable.” While that peace has endured, Northern Ireland is currently without a functioning government. Stormont, the seat of its assembly, has been suspended since the Democratic Unionist Party, which formed half of a power-sharing government, walked out a year ago over a post-Brexit trade dispute.