US President Joe Biden urges Northern Ireland parties to return to power-sharing

Belfast: In a speech hailing 25 years of peace, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that he hopes Northern Ireland parties will return to power-sharing soon. Addressing a small audience in Belfast, he said protecting peace in Northern Ireland is something that brings America together.

Earlier Biden held brief talks with UK PM Rishi Sunak before meeting Northern Ireland political leaders. There's a huge police presence in Belfast as the US President begins a four-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.



Biden's visit marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement - a peace deal that helped end 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland. 

The Good Friday Agreement - signed on the 10th of April, 1998 - largely ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed that had convulsed Northern Ireland since the late 1960s. The island of Ireland comprises the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign country, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.