Taoiseach Micheál Martin has stated that Ireland would gain if the UK and the US reached a beneficial economic agreement, reports RTE.
Although the Taoiseach acknowledged that it was still “early days” in terms of the possibility of such an agreement, he generally believed that anything that helped the UK economy also helped Ireland.
Given the trade agreements that exist in Northern Ireland as a result of the UK and EU’s post-Brexit treaties, Mr. Martin was questioned if Ireland should be involved in any negotiations between the US and the UK over an economic agreement, reports RTE.
Under agreements intended to maintain an open land border on the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland is subject to EU customs regulations.
The Taoiseach made it plain at the end of his St Patrick’s tour to the US that the EU, not Ireland, should be involved in international trade policy, reports RTE.
Mr. Martin responded that the UK Government was “very conscious” of those difficulties when asked whether he would be pressuring UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make sure that the Northern Ireland situation was appropriately taken into account in whatever agreement he could reach with US President Donald Trump.
“The situation in terms of UK-US is not clear yet,” he told reporters, reports RTE.
“But from the Irish point of view, I take a general view that if the UK does well, Ireland will do well economically, because that economic relationship is very important,” reports RTE.
According to Mr. Martin, Ireland is also collaborating with the EU to “facilitate and ease” trade obstacles with the UK following Brexit.
“Ireland’s relationship with Britain is still very strong economically,” the Fianna Fáil leader stated, reports RTE.
“It’s a very, very important market for us. And, so, if the UK economy picks up in whatever shape or form, or for whatever reason, Ireland will benefit from that,” reports RTE.
Additionally, Mr. Martin said that he would not downplay the significance of the recent UK-Ireland summit in Liverpool, which may lead to increased Anglo-Irish collaboration on offshore wind energy generation.
Michelle O’Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, has been accused by the Taoiseach of making a “big mistake” by refusing to attend the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington, DC, reports RTE.
Mr. Martin stated that the choice was “not in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland,” citing the “huge efforts” made to support Sinn Féin at the start of the peace process.
Ms. O’Neill stated last month that she could not accept the choice to visit Washington, DC, at a time when the US government was “threatening to annex and steal” Palestinian property, reports RTE.
Last week, Ms. O’Neill came to Carolina for a business function, but instead of attending the activities in Washington, DC, she went back home.
Emma Little-Pengelly, the DUP’s deputy first minister for Northern Ireland, did visit Washington and had a meal with Mr Trump on Capitol Hill.
In protest of the US president’s conduct, the Alliance Party and SDLP also abstained from White House events, reports RTE.
In an appearance with the BBC’s Sunday Politics show, Mr. Martin was asked if he believed that Ms. O’Neill had lost out on a chance to visit Washington.
“I do, I think it was a big mistake,” he said, reports RTE.
“I met with the deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly who was with me at the lunch on Capitol Hill, met with President Trump. I think it was a wrong decision because huge efforts were made at the beginning of the peace process to facilitate Sinn Féin at the time. A lot of people put a lot of effort into that,” reports RTE.
He added: “I thought it was a bit opportunistic and I think not in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland or indeed the island of Ireland for Sinn Féin to essentially boycott Capitol Hill this year,” reports RTE.
A Sinn Féin spokesperson responded: “The decision not to travel to the White House was not taken lightly, but taken conscious of the responsibility each of us as individuals have to call out injustice. We are all heartbroken as we witness the suffering of the Palestinian people and the recent comments of the US president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza, something we cannot ignore,” reports RTE.
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