London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will welcome US President Joe Biden to Belfast in Northern Ireland next week as the UK commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the peace treaty struck for the region in April 1998, Downing Street said on Sunday.
Biden will arrive in the UK on Tuesday evening, when Sunak will meet him off Air Force One and the US President will then undertake a programme of engagements including a bilateral with Sunak.
It comes as Monday marks a quarter of a century since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, transforming the political and economic landscape of the devolved region of Northern Ireland.
“The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was an incredible moment in our nation’s history. It was a powerfully rare example of people doing the previously unthinkable to create a better future for Northern Ireland,” said Sunak.
“It is that promise of a better future that we offered to everyone in Northern Ireland that I will be thinking of first and foremost over the coming days. It is my responsibility as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to ensure we are making good on that promise,” he said.
The British Indian leader said that Northern Ireland is “teeming” with opportunities, talent and ingenuity.
“The biggest thing we can do to improve people’s standard of living and secure a prosperous and thriving Northern Ireland is economic growth. That’s something I’m relentlessly focused on delivering,” he added.
The US strongly supported the Agreement process and played a pivotal role in boosting peace away from secessionist violence in Northern Ireland.
The UK government says it will use the Biden visit and his engagements with business leaders and others in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast to celebrate the region’s successes and encourage further long-term investment.
The US is one of the largest sources of foreign investment into Northern Ireland, putting GBP 1.5 billion into its economy over the last decade and creating 13,000 jobs. This includes tech giants such as Microsoft establishing themselves there.
Sunak is to announce that the UK will host a Northern Ireland Investment Summit in September this year to connect international investors with Northern Ireland businesses, showcasing the best of what Northern Ireland has to offer.
The Good Friday Agreement, signed by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, backed by then US President Bill Clinton, brought an end to 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles.
It was signed on April 10, 1998, and approved by public votes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Historically, Northern Ireland was created in 1921 and remained part of the UK when the rest of Ireland became an independent state, causing a split in the population between unionists, who wish to see Northern Ireland stay within the UK, and nationalists, who want it to become part of the Republic of Ireland.
From the late 1960s, armed groups from both sides carried out bombings and shootings.
It was the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement that brought peace to the region, with Brexit most recently testing its role in lasting peace to maintain a physical borderless island of Ireland.
