US President Joe Biden to visit Ireland to mark 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement
US President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Stormont's main political parties as part of a visit he said will underscore his nation's "commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity" in Northern Ireland.
Mr Biden is expected to arrive in Northern Ireland today as he begins a visit marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The Good Friday Agreement, largely brought an end to the Troubles, in Northern Ireland in 1998.
Signed on April 10 1998, the peace deal ended three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland and established a power-sharing government at Stormont which involved the region's unionist and nationalist communities.
The US administration at the time of the peace deal, played a key role in the talks that led to the signing of the Good Friday accord.
President Biden tweeted: "25 years ago, Northern Ireland's leaders chose peace.
"The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability.
"I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the US commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity."
Mr Biden will also travel to the Republic of Ireland, where he will carry out a number of engagements during his four-day stay, including visiting Co Louth and Co Mayo, from where his ancestors hail.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet Mr Biden when Air Force One touches down in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting on Wednesday before the US president gives an address at Ulster University's new £350 million Belfast campus.
Rishi Sunak has stressed the bravery and compromise exhibited by the leaders who secured the Good Friday Agreement as he called for power-sharing to swiftly return to Northern Ireland.
However, the Stormont powersharing Assembly, which was established in the peace deal, is not currently operating due to a protest over post-Brexit trading arrangements by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland.
It is expected that Mr Biden will hold a meeting with Northern Ireland's main political parties before the Ulster University talk.
A major security operation will be in place for Mr Biden's visit, with more than 300 officers from the rest of the UK being drafted into Northern Ireland.
After he leaves the city on Wednesday, Mr Biden will cross the border to attend engagements in Co Louth.
The president has traced his ancestral roots to the area and he will tour Carlingford Castle in the county before spending the night in Dublin.
He is then expected to visit Irish President Michael D Higgins on Thursday.
The White House said Mr Biden will take part in a tree-planting ceremony and ringing of the Peace Bell at the president's official residence, Aras an Uachtarain.
Following that ceremony, he will meet again with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, whom Mr Biden recently hosted for St Patrick's Day.
Mr Biden will address the Irish parliament and attend a banquet dinner at Dublin Castle on Thursday evening.
The president's trip will conclude with a visit to Co Mayo, where he will make a public speech at St Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina.
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