Although he has not yet received an invitation to the White House for St. Patrick’s Day, Taoiseach Micheál Martin stated that he has no reason to think that one would not be sent, reports RTE.
He said he would welcome such invitation and that Ireland and the US have a long and solid connection.
Opposition MPs have called on the government to abstain from the yearly visit to the White House on St. Patrick’s Day.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week programme, Mr Martin said: “The relationship with the United States is not about any one president, it’s been a longstanding one. It’s older than this state itself. It’s fraternal. The economic relationship is a powerful relationship, which we cannot ignore. And then there’s cultural and strong family connections as well,” reports RTE.
Mr. Martin stated that he would not mind talking about and outlining Ireland’s support for a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine.
He said that Ireland has a solid track record of defending the Palestinians’ right to a homeland, reports RTE.
Although the Occupied Territories Bill is being advanced by the government, the Taoiseach stated that it requires “root and branch” modification and alteration.
According to Mr. Martin, these revisions are on the horizon and should be thoroughly discussed in the house when the measure is introduced, reports RTE.
The Taoiseach said that as Ireland is a tiny, open economy that depends largely on exports, any tariffs that Mr. Trump imposed would be detrimental.
“We’ve been strongly supportive of free trade and it is something I strongly believe in. I will say this to Mr Trump if I meet him,” he added, reports RTE.
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