Status: 04/12/2023 4:49 p.m
In a speech in Belfast, US President Biden recalled the importance of the Good Friday Agreement. He predicted a great economic future for Northern Ireland – and praised the Brexit agreement between London and Brussels.
US President Joe Biden paid tribute to the courage and determination of the people of Northern Ireland in a speech marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Belfast.
“Looking back, we forget how hard-won and how amazing the peace was back then,” Biden said in a speech at Ulster University in the Northern Irish capital of Belfast. The USA had played an important mediating role in bringing about the historic peace agreement.
“First and foremost, he appreciated the peace process”, Sven Lohmann, ARD London currently Belfast, Biden gives speech in Belfast
Tagesschau 3:00 p.m., April 12, 2023
Biden forecasts economic growth for Northern Ireland
“Their story is our story,” said Biden, who has Irish ancestry, addressing the people of Northern Ireland. “But more importantly, your future is America’s future.”
Peace and prosperity belonged together, stressed Biden. “Keep the peace, unleash this incredible economic potential that is just beginning to unfold,” he said, pledged the US would continue to stand with the British continent as it builds the future.
Northern Ireland’s gross domestic product has doubled since peace was signed in 1998, Biden said, adding: “I predict it will triple if things continue to move in the right direction.” Many American companies are interested in investing in Northern Ireland.
Peace in Northern Ireland is a priority in the US
Biden praised the agreement reached in February to settle the dispute between London and Brussels as a result of Brexit. The US President also reiterated the hope that the regional parliament and government in Northern Ireland, which is currently unable to act due to a blockade by the Protestant Unionist DUP party, will soon be able to function again.
Keeping the peace in the British part of the country is a priority for both parties in the US.
25 years Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 ended decades of bloody conflict between majority Catholic supporters of uniting the two parts of Ireland and predominantly Protestant supporters of Northern Ireland’s union with Britain.
The US President called for celebrating the anniversary of the agreement and repairing past damage.
In his speech, Biden tried to spread a spirit of optimism. Where barbed wire once divided the city, Ulster University now stands as a cathedral of learning. Today, Belfast is a place for commerce, art and inspiration. “The dividends of peace are all around us.”
The country is still divided
But even a quarter of a century later, Northern Ireland suffers from tensions and political paralysis. The DUP disagrees with Brexit rules and refuses to enter government. Parliament cannot meet either.
In Belfast and Londonderry, which Catholics only call Derry, Catholics and Protestants still live in different parts of the city – separated by meter-high walls and fences, the “peace walls”. Even kindergartens and schools are separated by denomination. Shortly before Biden’s visit, there were isolated riots in which a police car was set on fire.
Biden wanted to leave for Dublin immediately after the speech in Belfast. In Ireland, in addition to talks with various politicians, he also wants to search for traces of his ancestors.
tagesschau live: Biden’s speech in Belfast
4/12/2023 2:52 p.m