Joe Biden will visit Northern Ireland to mark 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, will visit Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

The Good Friday Agreement signalled the end of the Troubles (late 1960s to 1998) in Northern Ireland, a period during which more than 3,000 people were killed and more than 50,000 people were injured. The British and Irish governments are co-signatories of the bi-lateral international agreement.

“It’s my intention to go to Northern Ireland and the Republic,” said President Biden. The US President made the announcement during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak in San Diego, California.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told President Biden “we’d love to have you over”. “I look forward to our conversations and also importantly, to invite you to Northern Ireland, which hopefully you will be able to do and so we can commemorate the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. I know it’s something very special and personal to you. we’d love to have you over.”

The full details of the visit have yet to be confirmed. It was expected the visit would be officially confirmed on the lawn of the White House on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) when President Biden is due to host Taoiseach (Irish prime minister), Leo Varadkar.