US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden “reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement” in a phone call with the Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
Biden spoke of the need to ensure any Brexit outcome “respects” the Belfast Agreement during his call with Martin, who he previously met during the Irish politician’s tenure as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
A government spokesperson for Martin described the call as a “warm conversation” with Biden recalling his “strong Irish roots” and desire to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit on the so-called Irish border.
The Taoiseach congratulated President-elect Biden and Kamala Harris on their remarkable election victory and extended a formal invite to visit Ireland once the current coronavirus pandemic has passed.
Biden also indicated he would be signing American back up to the Paris accord on carbon emissions and would reinstate funding to the World Health Organisation.
The Government spokesman said: "An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President-elect Joe Biden spoke by phone this afternoon.
"In a warm conversation, President-elect Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016.
"The President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement 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.
"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."
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
... 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 🇮🇪🇺🇸
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 10, 2020
Micheal Martin also added in a tweet: "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 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 ."
