POLITICAL LEADERS ON both sides of the Irish border have praised the “reset” and engagement in their relationship, following a fractious number of years.
Taoiseach Simon Harris chaired a meeting with the Northern Ireland Executive this afternoon, attended by politicians and ministers from Belfast and Dublin.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly were among the members of the Executive attending the plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council at Dublin Castle.
Harris led the Cabinet during proceedings, the second such meeting of the council since the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive in early February.
Politicians noted the improved British-Irish relations, with Little-Pengelly stating that a the heart of the talks is the rebuilding of positive and good relationships.
Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, Harris said the reset in their relationship is “really important”.
“It’s grounded in common sense, mutual respect, friendship, peace and shared prosperity,” the Fine Gael leader stated.
“I think what we’ve seen in recent days, through my own engagement with the British Prime Minister, through the Tánaiste’s engagement with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, is really substantive work being done to try and show that reset isn’t just about warmth.
The warmth is important, but it’s also actually about looking at areas where we can practically make progress.
He added that trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic is worth €120 billion.
Meanwhile, Martin said it was “very clear” at their last plenary meeting held in Armagh in April, that there was a “warmth” and an engagement between them that he had not seen in a long time.
Martin said there has been a “changed environment” since the Windsor Framework agreement last year.
“I think what’s very clear in terms of the British-Irish relationship is that the British government is committed very much to the ethos and entirety and totality of the Good Friday Agreement in all its strands, and are very imbued by the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. That’s manifest, I think, in the engagements that we both have had,” he added.
O’Neill said that relationships and respect matter, and that both sides can work together on improving their respective economies.
“I think that certainly for me, the reset can lead to a more positive political environment in which we all can operate,” she added.
“Crucially for myself and Emma, who are tasked with leading the Executive, certainly the two co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, whether it be the Irish government, the British government, need to be also at that table.
“That’s now perhaps an avenue that’s opened up to us again that hasn’t been there for the past 14 years under the Tory mismanagement of the peace process.”
Little-Pengelly, an MLA for Lagan Valley, said that when relationships “fracture” and are in a bad place, people do not feel “respected”.
“People don’t feel that their issues are being listened to,” she said.
“If issues are being demeaned and dismissed, then that, of course, creates instability. It means that we don’t have the conversations required to resolve the issues that we need to resolve.
Very much at the heart of this engagement is rebuilding those positive and good relationships north-south, but importantly east-west as well.
“The Republic of Ireland is our closest neighbour, we do a significant amount of trade with the Republic of Ireland and vice versa.
“We have a wide range of issues which touch on each other’s jurisdictions, so it’s good that we can have that dialogue.
“But of course, we need to learn the lessons of the past as well and to ensure that we don’t repeat those moving forward.”
Discussions at the plenary meeting focused on areas of mutual interest.
It was the first time Harris hosted the plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council as Taoiseach.
Among their discussions included the upgrade of the A5 road, as well as ongoing works at the Narrow Water Bridge project and the Ulster Canal.
They also discussed climate change and loss of biodiversity, as well as Mother and Baby Homes, Magdalene laundries and workhouses.
The leaders were also asked about a protest that took place over the lack of Irish language signage at Belfast’s new Grand Central Station.
Around 100 Irish language campaigners staged a demonstration in the new transport hub after it officially opened without any Irish language signage.
O’Neill commended the activists and said that “we have to get to the point where we have that dual language signage”.
With reporting from Press Association
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