Britain, Ireland to strengthen relationship in new era

London [England], March 7: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening UK-Ireland relations in the post-Brexit era, following a UK-Ireland Summit in Liverpool on Thursday, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.
The statement highlighted a renewed cooperation program pursued in a spirit of "respect and affinity" while emphasizing both nations' commitment to the global multilateral system and international law, which they described as the foundation of their international partnerships.
The summit, the first of its kind, comes as Britain and the European Union (EU) face heightened security concerns after years of strained relations during Brexit negotiations.
As part of the strengthened partnership, Ireland announced a 185.5-million-pound (239.29 million U.S. dollars) investment in Britain, expected to create 2,540 jobs across the country. The two nations also reaffirmed the strategic importance of the Celtic and Irish Seas, pledging deeper cooperation on offshore energy and interconnection to enhance collective energy security as part of their green transition toward net-zero emissions.
Ireland remains Britain's sixth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totaling nearly 80 billion pounds last year across key sectors, including renewable energy, life sciences, creative industries, and technology.
Source: Xinhua News Agency