BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was 'an incredible moment' as he prepares to meet US President Joe Biden this week.
Mr Biden is about to embark upon a four-day visit to Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Agreement, with his trip beginning in Belfast.
The President will arrive in the city on Tuesday evening, where Mr Sunak will meet him off Air Force One.
Mr Biden will then undertake a programme of engagements, including a meeting with the Prime Minister.
'Incredible moment'
On Sunday, Mr Sunak hailed the historic 1998 peace deal, describing it as 'previously unthinkable'.
"The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was an incredible moment in our nation's history," said the Prime Minister.
"It was a powerfully rare example of people doing the previously unthinkable to create a better future for Northern Ireland.
"It is that promise of a better future that we offered to everyone in Northern Ireland that I will be thinking of first and foremost over the coming days.
Mr Sunak — pictured during a visit to Belfast in December – said he hopes to use President Biden’s visit and other upcoming engagements in the city to encourage further long-term investment in Northern Ireland (Image: Charles McQuillan - WPA Pool/Getty Images)"It is my responsibility as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to ensure we are making good on that promise.
"Northern Ireland — like the rest of the UK — is teeming with opportunities, talent and ingenuity.
"The biggest thing we can do to improve people's standard of living and secure a prosperous and thriving Northern Ireland, is economic growth.
"That's something I'm relentlessly focused on delivering."
Investment
Despite the current political impasse in the North, Mr Sunak hopes the anniversary of the GFA can further boost the peace and prosperity that the 1998 deal ushered in.
The Prime Minister said that he hopes to use President Biden's visit and other upcoming engagements in Belfast to encourage further long-term investment in Northern Ireland.
Mr Sunak is set to return to the city on Wednesday, April 19, to address the Queen's University 'Agreement 25' conference.
During the visit, he will host a special Gala Dinner to commemorate 25 years since the signing of the landmark peace deal.
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak has also announced a Northern Ireland Investment Summit will take place in Belfast on September 12-13.
The event will be led by the Department for Business and Trade, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest NI.
