18/05/2011

Cameron Says State Visit 'Remarkable'

Joining Her Majesty the Queen on the State Visit to the Republic of Ireland today, the UK's Prime Minister said the visit was “remarkable” and demonstrated the fact the relationship between Britain and the Republic of Ireland had “never been stronger”.

David Cameron will meet with the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny for bilateral talks before joining The Queen at a State Banquet.

The Queen has been conducting a State Visit to the Republic since Tuesday – the first for a British monarch for 100 years.

Speaking today, the PM said: “I think it demonstrates that the relationship between Britain and the Republic of Ireland is strong and probably has never been stronger, and with a successful devolution of policing and justice that made this visit possible.

He added: “I think the scenes on our television screens last night of the visits Her Majesty made to heal the wounds of the past but also to look to a very bright future between our two countries are remarkable and hugely welcome.”

Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is also attending the State Visit, said the occasion marked a “transformation in the relationship between Britain and Ireland”.

The visit by the PM follows an earlier meeting between Mr Cameron and Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Downing Street in April.

(BMcN/GK)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

24 June 2010
Queen Elizabeth May Come To Republic
It has emerged the Queen of the United Kingdom may visit the Republic of Ireland for the first time since the beginning of her reign. After a meeting between the Prime Minister David Cameron in London and Taoiseach Brian Cowen, plans have surfaced that the Queen's first state visit to Ireland may come before the end of next year.
08 April 2011
Fáilte For Queen's Dublin Visit
As details of the first reigning Monarch's visit to the Irish Republic emerged yesterday, polarized division has emerged. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has welcomed the planned trip by the Queen to Dublin's Croke Park, during her landmark state visit to Ireland in May.
07 March 2011
Queen's Republic Visit Welcomed
DUP Leader and the North's First Minister Peter Robinson, has welcomed the announcement that Her Majesty The Queen is to visit the Republic of Ireland. "The news of a visit by Her Majesty to the Irish Republic will be welcomed by all right-thinking people throughout the United Kingdom and that country as a positive development.
09 February 2011
Queen's Visit To Be 'Sprung On Ireland'
This spring could see the first ever visit by The Queen to the Republic of Ireland. Discussions to set a date for the first visit by a British monarch are underway, with the Irish Times saying that a three-day trip by Queen Elizabeth II was anticipated in May this year.
18 March 2011
Obama Announces State Visit To Ireland
President of the United States, Barack Obama, has announced he will make a state visit to Ireland in late May. Announcing the visit, Mr Obama said he wanted to reaffirm what he described as the "incredible bond" between the two countries and spoke of the "warmth, the affection, the familial and person-to-person contacts" between both States.