According to Biden, peace in Northern Ireland cannot be taken for granted

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.

“When we look back, we forget how hard fought and how great the peace was back then”, Biden said in a speech at Ulster University in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast on Wednesday. Peace and prosperity belonged together, emphasized the democratic politician, who has Irish roots.

Northern Ireland’s gross domestic product has doubled since the 1998 peace deal, Biden said, emphasizing: “I predict it will triple if it continues to move in the right direction.” Many American companies are interested in investing in Northern Ireland. Keeping the peace in the formerly troubled province is a priority for both sides in the US.

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 ended decades of bloody conflict between predominantly Catholic supporters of unification of the two parts of Ireland and predominantly Protestant supporters of Northern Ireland’s union with Great Britain.

But even a quarter of a century later, the province is grappling with tensions and political paralysis. The largest Protestant Unionist party, the DUP, disagrees with the Brexit rules and refuses to enter government. Parliament cannot meet either. Biden praised the agreement reached in February to settle the dispute between London and Brussels. The 80-year-old said he hopes Northern Ireland’s regional parliament and government will function again soon.

Biden wanted to leave for Dublin immediately after the speech in Belfast. There he wants to talk to various politicians and look for traces of his ancestors. (saw/sda/dpa)