Status: 04/12/2023 3:29 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.
“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
Peace and prosperity belonged together, emphasized the democratic politician, who has Irish ancestors. 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. Biden praised the agreement reached in February to settle the dispute between London and Brussels as a result of Brexit.
Biden hopes that the regional parliament and the government in Northern Ireland, which is currently unable to act due to a blockade by the Protestant Unionist party DUP, 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.
But even a quarter of a century later, the province suffers from tensions and political paralysis. The DUP disagrees with Brexit rules and refuses to enter government. Parliament cannot meet either.
Biden wanted to leave for Dublin immediately after the speech in Belfast. There he wants to talk to various politicians and go in search of traces of his ancestors.
tagesschau live: Biden’s speech in Belfast
4/12/2023 2:52 p.m