Taoiseach invites Joe Biden to visit Ireland during ‘warm’ call

by PA Media

The Taoiseach has invited US president-elect Joe Biden to visit Ireland.

Micheal Martin said he held a “warm and engaging call” with Mr Biden, who spoke proudly of his Irish heritage.

Mr Martin also said that the president-elect “underlined his commitment” to the Good Friday Agreement during the call on Tuesday.

The call between the two men took place shortly after Mr Biden had spoken to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Martin congratulated Mr Biden and Kamala Harris on their “remarkable election victory”.

Mr Martin tweeted: “I’ve had a warm and engaging call with US President Elect @JoeBiden.

I’ve had a warm and engaging call with US President Elect @joebiden He brings tremendous knowledge & understanding to his new role, and has a great love for his Irish heritage. He underlined his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement & we spoke of importance of multilateralism..

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 10, 2020

“He brings tremendous knowledge & understanding to his new role, and has a great love for his Irish heritage. He underlined his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement & we spoke of importance of multilateralism.”

In another tweet he added: “.. for example, the Paris Accord and the WHO. I congratulated him on the historic nature of his election and that of @KamalaHarris and we agreed to work closely together.

“I also invited him and @DrBiden to come back to Ireland when we will properly mark their success.”

In a statement the Irish Government said Mr Biden had recalled his “strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016” during the “warm conversation between the men.

“The president-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) and they discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the GFA and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland,” the statement read.

“They looked forward to working together bilaterally and across a range of international areas including EU-US relations, the UN – including the Security Council, and on the important global challenges of Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change.”

Earlier in the day the Irish premier had posted a message on Twitter saying he had spoken to Joe Biden, but it was swiftly deleted.

Mr Martin had written: “Just finished a very positive call with US President Elect @JoeBiden.”

The call would have been one of the first the US president-elect had with world leaders, following one on Monday with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The Irish Government then confirmed that a phone call was “being arranged” between Mr Martin and Mr Biden, but it had not yet taken place.

The Government spokesman said the tweet had been “sent in error”.

Speaking in the Irish parliament shortly after the tweet was deleted, Mr Martin described Mr Biden as “the most Irish of presidents since John F. Kennedy”.

The Fianna Fail leader said the Irish Government was “particularly pleased” that Mr Biden had “won the confidence of the American people”.

He described the win as an “outstanding personal mandate”, the largest in the history of US presidential elections.

“It’s fair to say, I think, the most Irish of Irish presidents since John F. Kennedy,” he told Dail Eireann.

Mr Martin also said that during the campaign Mr Biden had “nailed his colours to the mast” in terms of his “absolute commitment” to the upholding of the Good Friday Agreement.

He said the president-elect had also made clear “his resistance to any measures or mechanisms or developments that would undermine the Good Friday Agreement and peace on the island of Ireland”.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Biden’s election was “good for Ireland in many ways”.

Ms McDonald told the Dail: “He is, as we know, proud of his Irish roots and without doubt a long-standing friend of Ireland.

“During the presidential election campaign and indeed throughout his time in office he has acted to promote and protect peace, progress and the Good Friday Agreement.

“He comes to the office of president at a time of threat from the British Government, with Brexit and their refusal to honour agreements looming large.”

The call took place between Mr Biden and Mr Johnson on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Mr Martin’s tweet was deleted.