The newly appointed secretary of state, Sir Chris Bryant, will be visiting the Republic of Ireland on Monday for the first time since taking office.
Sir Chris will be in Dublin for a series of engagements, meeting with government ministers as well as UK and Irish business representatives.
Speaking ahead of his engagements, Sir Chris said he was committed to working with ministers to uphold the Good Friday Agreement and to “deliver on the commitments on legacy that both governments have made”.
He emphasised the importance of UK-Irish economic ties and added he was also there to make the case for Northern Ireland’s “immense economic potential”.
The secretary of state will hold bilateral meetings with Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, and Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD.
They will discuss shared priorities, including economic growth, joint security, and both governments’ commitments on addressing the legacy of the past.
Sir Chris will also attend a roundtable with key business leaders from across the UK and Ireland to discuss boosting cross-border trade and encouraging investment.
“The UK-Ireland relationship is fundamental to our shared security and prosperity, and has been significantly strengthened over the past two years,” he said.
The secretary of state will be joined by Northern Ireland Minister Baroness Ruth Anderson and the King’s Ambassador to Dublin, Kara Owen, throughout the day’s engagements.
Sir Chris visited Northern Ireland in July and said he was coming to Northern Ireland with “a checklist of things I want to get sorted” rather than a chequebook.
He was visiting Northern Ireland for a series of engagements, which included meeting the political parties at Hillsborough Castle.
Parties in the Northern Ireland Executive had been calling for increased funding from the government so they could set a budget.
He said the parties had already made strong representations to him about funding but said he wouldn’t have “a set of decisions for people”.
BBC News
