Brexit and Covid to feature in St Patrick’s Day Biden-Martin talks

US president Joe Biden and Taoiseach Micheál Martin will hold a virtual meeting on March 17th to mark St Patrick’s Day and and reaffirm the “deep, historic partnership” between Ireland and America, the White House has said.

“They will also discuss combatting Covid-19, addressing global challenges, increasing our shared prosperity, and supporting political and economic stability in Northern Ireland,” press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Friday night.

“Although the pandemic prevents the traditional White House celebration of St Patrick’s Day this year, we look forward to marking this holiday and our close relationship with Ireland in a safe way.”

In statement on Saturday, the Taoiseach gave a more detailed account of his “virtual St Patrick’s Day visit to the United States”.

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Discussions are expected to include the deep ties between the United States and Ireland; combatting Covid19 and driving recovery; and shared global challenges, including climate, the Government said in a statement.

The meeting would also be an opportunity for the Taoiseach to thank Mr Biden “for the US’s ongoing support for the Good Friday Agreement”.

A traditional shamrock bowl will be presented.

The Taoiseach will also meet with vice president Kamala Harris. Both will then engage with the inaugural class of Frederick Douglass Global Fellows, 20 American students from minority backgrounds who have been selected to visit Ireland later this year, following in Douglass’s footsteps 175 years ago.

Mr Martin will meet with speaker Nancy Pelosi, and with members of the US Congress Friends of Ireland Caucus, who mark their 40th anniversary on St Patrick’s Day.

The Taoiseach’s programme commences on Monday, 15 March with a policy address to the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution in which he will set out his thinking on managing relations on and off the island in the post-Brexit context.

Other events include speaking at a public event hosted by the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus in association with the Pat & John Hume Foundation, and the Embassy of Ireland commemorating John Hume and the pivotal role he played in garnering US support for the peace process.

The Taoiseach will participate in all events from Government Buildings.

Speaking in advance, Mr Martin said: “My visit is an opportunity to highlight how our mutually beneficial trade and investment relationship leaves both our economies well-positioned to bounce back quickly.

“I look forward greatly to meeting President Biden, who has a very special connection with Ireland, and to bring him greetings from Ireland on this his first St Patrick’s Day in office as President. I will thank him personally for his unstinting support for Ireland over many years, including in recent times for his support in helping to secure a positive outcome in the Brexit negotiations, as we face into the task now of making those new arrangements work well.”

Britain’s decision to postpone the implementation of a key part of the Brexit agreement is set to feature in discussions.

Ahead of St Patrick’s Day, the US Senate is preparing to unveil a new resolution in support of the Belfast Agreement to the floor early next week.

Commenting on London’s decision to extend the grace period for custom checks between Northern Ireland and Britain, US congressman Richard Neal said the move was “arbitrary and capricious”.

“There seems to be a pattern that is developing in the aftermath of Brexit,” he said, referring to Britain’s unilateral decision to delay the introduction of checks by six months, in breach of the agreement.

“It was the arbitrary nature of how the UK challenged what they had previously agreed to…the sort of camouflaging it by suggesting that it is only about a temporary postponement,” added Mr Neal, who chairs the powerful ways and means committee.

Britain has argued that the move to delay the introduction of checks was needed to keep goods on shelves in Northern Ireland. However, the EU is now preparing legal action against the UK for breaking the terms of the Brexit agreement, which required the checks to be introduced by April 1st.

Britain is dispatching an official from the Northern Ireland Office to Washington in a bid to counter Irish influence in the US capital as criticism grows at the highest levels in the US about Britain’s decision to breach the terms of the Brexit agreement.