The combined economy of the Republic and Northern Ireland is emerging as a stronger entity on the world stage through greater co-operation, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.
Mr Ahern told 400 guests at a joint Fianna Fáil - SDLP business breakfast near that closer cross-border economic ties would help in the face of global recession.
"This spirit of partnership will ensure that we can all best endure the difficulties which each economy is currently undergoing," he said at the meeting in Dundalk, Co Louth.
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| Taoiseach Bertie Ahern with SDLP Leader Mark Durkan after their meeting this morning |
“In the boardrooms of the United States, Japan and elsewhere our unity of purpose is seen as a clear signal of our shared willingness to make progress.”
Today's meeting comes just days after Taoiseach-in-waiting Brian Cowen announced, with Stormont Finance Minister and Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister-in-waiting Peter Robinson, plans to allow the Irish Financial
Services Centre to locate some of its operations in Northern Ireland.
Mr Ahern and SDLP leader Mark Durkan were careful not to pre-empt the outcomes of consultations in their parties about a possible merger which could see Fianna Fáil enter politics in Northern Ireland.
However, Mr Ahern paid tribute to SDLP and Fianna Fáil members who played a pivotal role in bringing lasting peace to the island of Ireland.
"Fianna Fáil and the SDLP are two pragmatic nationalist political movements which recognised that along with the provision of improved infrastructure, we must combine and co-ordinate policies," he said.
"Many of us have travelled a long way together. Through thick and thin I can say that without the SDLP, the peace process would not have occurred, said the outgoing Taoiseach. "Working together I believe that Fianna Fáil and the SDLP will dramatically enhance the economic and social wellbeing of this island. Building on our strong legacy of co-operation and success, the future is very bright."
Fianna Fáil has been conducting a review into whether it will move into Northern Ireland politics. During a visit to Belfast earlier this month, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern confirmed that the consultation was expected to be extended to the summer following considerable interest in the move.
Fianna Fáil's youth wing has set up branches at Queen's University in Belfast and the University of Ulster's Magee campus in Derry. The party also recently registered its name north of the border with the electoral authorities.
But while a substantial section of the SDLP would favour a merger with Fianna Fáil, another bloc in the party would have sympathies with the Labour Party which has its own committee of Northern Ireland members. Were there to be a merger between Fianna Fáil and the SDLP, it is believed this group would leave.
The SDLP has insisted today's joint event is focused on the economy and is part of the party's focus on cross-border co-operation and harmonisation.