Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 November 2020
182. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the State recognises Joe Biden as the winner of the US Presidential election and the President-elect of the USA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37675/20]
View answerThe Government has offered the warmest congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as the 46th President of the United States. We have also congratulated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and recognise the significance of her election as the first woman and first person of colour to hold that office.
The Taoiseach and President-elect Biden spoke by telephone last week during which the President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement. In addition, they looked forward to working together bilaterally and across a range of international areas including EU-US relations, the UN including the Security Council and on the important global challenges of Covid, economic recovery and climate change.
Our relationship with the US is built on a deep foundation of ancestral ties and decades of close political, diplomatic and economic links. Our political relationships span across the political spectrum in the United States. Strengthening bilateral relations with the US is a priority for Ireland as set out in our Programme for Government, as well in our Strategy for the US and Canada 2019-2025.
With each successive administration in the White House and each successive US Congress, our relationship has been valued and strengthened, to the benefit of our people on both sides of the Atlantic. We maintain close relations with members of Congress and contacts from across the political spectrum, and will continue to seek opportunities to deepen, and strengthen, our bilateral relations with the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden. We look forward to working with the new administration to progress international peace and security, as well as with the United States Congress, across the aisle, to pursue comprehensive immigration reform in the US. We are also committed to strengthening transatlantic relations more broadly.
