Statement on the Restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly

I welcome and strongly support the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive and assembly at Stormont, and I commend the political leaders of Northern Ireland for taking the necessary steps to restore these core institutions. As I said when I visited Belfast last year to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the democratic institutions it established remain critical for the future of Northern Ireland, and a government that finds ways through hard problems together will draw even greater opportunity to Northern Ireland.

I look forward to seeing the renewed stability of a power-sharing government that strengthens the peace dividend, restores public services, and continues building on the immense progress of the last decades. This is an important step, and I am confident that through consistent dialogue and ongoing cooperation with both the United Kingdom and Ireland, Stormont's restoration will facilitate the critical North-South and East-West relations vital to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and ensure that Northern Ireland will continue to be vibrant and dynamic, defined by unlimited opportunity for all who call it home.