British, Irish leaders agree to take bilateral ties to 'new level'

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Irish counterpart Simon Harris on Saturday met in Dublin to discuss wide-range of issues, including the reset of the partnership between the two countries.

Starmer and Harris met in Farmleigh House in Dublin to discuss bilateral ties as well as the situation in Ukraine and Gaza.

According to a joint statement issued following the meeting, the two leaders discussed the importance of their responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, and their shared ambition for greater opportunity, economic prosperity and reconciliation across these islands to include and benefit Northern Ireland.

Starmer and Harris agreed "to take the UK-Ireland relationship to a new level and to deliver on the promise of that relationship."

As part of this commitment, they also agreed to host the first UK-Ireland summit in March next year, which will take forward co-operation in key areas of mutual interest such as security, climate, trade and culture.

"In the spirit of the strength of the relationship between the UK and Ireland across business, culture, people and beyond, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach (Simon Harris) noted that today’s meeting marked the start of an ambitious programme of work to be taken forward by Ministers and their departments to deliver a renewed and strengthened partnership," added the statement.

Starmer and Harris swapped football shirts ahead of the England and Ireland Nations League football match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin where they also attended the match at 5 p.m. local time (1600GMT).

Separately, in a joint article for The Irish Times, the two leaders said they are "putting the relationship between our two countries on a new path."

Starmer and Harris noted that for too long, ties between the UK and Ireland have not been "what you would expect of close friends and neighbours."

"So, as new leaders, we are both putting the relationship between our two countries on a new path," noted the joint article.

Touching on the shared responsibility for peace in Northern Ireland, the two underlined that as co-guarantors of the Belfast Agreement, upholding the agreement is a "deep, personal priority for us both."