Biden and Sunak to Meet in Belfast to Commemorate Good Friday Agreement
The president of the United States is currently on a four-day visit to the island of Ireland, where his top priority is to “ensure the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement remain in place and maintain peace.”
Joe Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak today, following his arrival in Northern Ireland last night to commemorate the Good Friday Agreement’s 25th anniversary.
After Air Force One landed at Belfast International Airport for the US president’s four-day visit to the island of Ireland, Mr. Sunak greeted Mr. Biden.
The two leaders met briefly before the president departed in an armored vehicle through a light snowfall.
Before the US president meets with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s five major political parties, Mr. Biden and Mr. Sunak will meet.
However, according to the White House, there will be no formal meeting with the leaders.
The Stormont power-sharing assembly, which was established in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal, is currently inactive due to a protest by the DUP, the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland, over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Following his meeting with party leaders, Mr. Biden will deliver a speech commemorating the Good Friday Agreement at the new £350 million Belfast campus of Ulster University.
The peace agreement largely put an end to thirty years of violence between Republicans and loyalists.
ALSO READ: Joe Biden to Mark 25 Years of Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland
On Tuesday, Downing Street denied that Mr. Sunak would attend Mr. Biden’s keynote address.
Before leaving, Mr. Biden told reporters his top priority was to “ensure that the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement remain in place and that peace is maintained.”
It is believed that his son Hunter Biden and sister Valerie Biden Owen will accompany him on this trip.
For Mr. Biden’s trip to Northern Ireland, a major security operation costing an estimated £7 million will be in place.
300 officers from across the UK will help police commemorative events.
Mr. Biden will visit Carlingford Castle in County Louth, Ireland, later today.
On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet with Irish President Michael D. Higgins in Dublin.
At Aras an Uachtarain, the presidential residence, Mr. Biden will plant trees and ring the Peace Bell.
After the ceremony, he will meet with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and deliver a speech to the Irish parliament.
ALSO READ: Russia and Ukraine Exchange 100 Prisoners in Historic Swap
On Thursday evening, Dublin Castle will host a banquet dinner.
On Friday, the president will conclude his trip by visiting County Mayo, where he has distant cousins.
Mr. Biden will speak at St. Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina, County Mayo, where his great-great-great-grandfather sold 27,000 bricks in 1820.
The cathedral’s bricks were sold in 1851 to fund Mr. Blewitt’s family’s trip to America.
In Northern Ireland, power sharing in Stormont is stalled and the terror threat is severe, making an attack likely.
Mr. Biden’s arrival occurred hours after police discovered four suspected pipe bombs in a cemetery in Northern Ireland.
Tuesday, officers cordoned off the City Cemetery in Creggan, Derry/Londonderry, after discovering a suspicious device.
During a “unannounced” Republican march in Creggan, Northern Ireland, dissident Republicans threw petrol bombs at an armored police Land Rover on Easter Monday.
HEY READER. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SITE BY CLICKING ADS. DON’T FORGET TO HIT THE NOTIFICATION BELL FOR MORE UPDATES AROUND THE GLOBE.
