British Prime Minister is to hold talks with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris in Dublin on Saturday on a visit that Downing Street has called a “historic moment for UK-Ireland relations.”
“(It) marks a new era of co-operation and friendship between Britain and Ireland,” Starmer’s office said in a statement ahead of the visit.
The visit comes after relations between the UK’s Conservative government and Ireland deteriorated over the past years amid tensions over — of which Ireland remains a member.
The decision to leave the EU put a particular strain on ties between Britain and Ireland amid quarrels over
Northern Ireland is part of the UK. Therefore, the country is not in the EU but shares a land border with Ireland, a member of the bloc.
Starmer has been seeking closer ties with various EU members since taking office after the damage done to bilateral relations by Brexit, and
‘The strongest of ties’
Ahead of Saturday’s visit, which will focus on boosting economic growth, Starmer said the “UK and Ireland share the strongest of ties” and that the two leaders were “in lockstep about our future.”
The relationship between London and Dublin “has never reached its full potential but I want to change that”, Starmer said in comments released by Downing Street.
“We have a clear opportunity to go further and faster to make sure our partnership is fully delivering on behalf of the British and Irish people — driving growth and prosperity in both our countries,” he added.
During the trip, Starmer and Harris, who became taioseach (prime minister) in April, are expected to reaffirm the , the landmark peace accord brokered in 1998 that largely ended decades of sectarian violence on the island of Ireland.
Starmer is also set to meet Irish business leaders in Dublin.
Harris was the first international leader hosted by Starmer in the UK soon after the latter’s landslide election win in July.
tj/rm (Reuters, AFP)
The post UK’s Starmer makes ‘historic’ visit to Dublin appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
