London, Thanasis Gavos

“The US will be Ireland’s closest and most trusted partner at every step” said US President Joe Biden in a speech to members of both legislatures of the Republic of Ireland, which he has been visiting since Wednesday.

He reiterated his desire for the restoration of the functioning of democratic institutions in Northern Ireland, as stipulated in the Good Friday peace agreement.

“Peace is critical”, the US President added, saying he continues to need care. He commented that the United Kingdom should work more closely with Ireland in this endeavour. “Peace is what should guide us,” he added.

He also condemned political violence, saying that he should not be allowed to return to the island.

At the start of his speech he repeated the rugby joke he had attempted to tell on Wednesday night in a pub in Dundalk. This time he used the correct nickname for the New Zealand national team (All Blacks) instead of the name of a British paramilitary organization that operated in Northern Ireland and was defeated by the IRA in the 1920s (Black and Tans). His offhand reference was flagged as a blunder that threatened to further alienate unionists in Northern Ireland who have branded the US President “anti-British”.

Looking up he addressed his mother with the words “mom you said it would happen” adding that being in Ireland he has returned home.

His speech included extensive reference to the large Irish community in the US, historical relationships and “timeless cooperation” of the two countriesbut also in the joint reaction with European countries to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Thursday’s program had begun at noon with a visit to the official presidential residence in Dublin and a meeting with Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

In the gardens of the residence, Mr. Biden planted an Irish oak, as Presidents Kennedy and Obama had done before him during their visits.

He also rang the Peace Bell four times, which has been placed at the site since the events marking the tenth anniversary of the peace agreement for Northern Ireland, which was signed on Good Friday 1998.

President Biden later met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. They discussed, among other things, the bilateral relationship, the war in Ukraine and their shared desire to restore the functioning of the executive and legislature in Northern Ireland.

In the evening he attends a state dinner at Dublin Castle and his trip will conclude on Friday with a visit and speech in County Mayo, where his ancestors came from.