London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will welcome US President Joe Biden to Belfast in Northern Ireland next week as the UK commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the peace treaty struck for the region in April 1998, Downing Street said on Sunday.
Biden will arrive in the UK on Tuesday evening, when Sunak will meet him off Air Force One and the US President will then undertake a programme of engagements including a bilateral with Sunak.
It comes as Monday marks a quarter of a century since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, transforming the political and economic landscape of the devolved region of Northern Ireland.
“The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was an incredible moment in our nation’s history.
It was a powerfully rare example of people doing the previously unthinkable to create a better future for Northern Ireland,” said Sunak.
“It is that promise of a better future that we offered to everyone in Northern Ireland that I will be thinking of first and foremost over the coming days.
It is my responsibility as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to ensure we are making good on that promise,” he said.
The British Indian leader said that Northern Ireland is “teeming” with opportunities, talent and ingenuity.
“The biggest thing we can do to improve people’s standard of living and secure a prosperous and thriving Northern Ireland is economic growth.
That’s something I’m relentlessly focused on delivering,” he added.