U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ireland’s Tánaiste and Foreign Minister Micheál Martin about a commitment to conserve the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in the lead-up to its 25th anniversary in April.
The two officials also discussed their continued support for Ukraine, according to a State Department news release issued Jan. 3.
“Looking forward to working with @MichealMartinTD in his new role as Ireland’s Tánaiste and Foreign Minister. Today we reiterated our commitment to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and support for Ukraine,” Blinken said in a post on Twitter.
Ireland approved €10 million for Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme to support people arriving from Ukraine Dec. 15, 2022, according to a Government of Ireland release. The program aims to reduce poverty by focusing on disadvantaged communities.
On Jan. 3, the Department of Education announced 13,753 Ukrainian pupils were currently enrolled in Irish schools. Regional Education and Language Teams continue to assist students transitioning from Ukrainian to Irish schools, a Department of Education release reported.
Martin and Blinken spoke about the Belfast Agreement signed April 10, 1998, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, which established political structures with both political parties represented and ended the violence between the Unionists and the Nationalists. The agreement resulted in three government sectors: the Northern Ireland Assembly; the North-South Ministerial Council and the North-South Implementation Bodies; and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and the British-Irish Council, according to a United Kingdom policy paper from the Northern Ireland Office. Each represents and supports the cooperation of governments across Ireland and the UK.
