WITH the Good Friday Agreement marking its 25th anniversary, US President Joe Biden has said America is with Northern Ireland 'every step of the way' on the journey to preserve peace and boost prosperity.
Mr Biden was speaking at Ulster University's Belfast campus during his only engagement in the North before travelling to Co. Louth.
The president contrasted the glass 'cathedral of learning' to the 'barbed wire [that] once sliced up the city' to highlight the progress made over the last quarter of a century.
As such, Mr Biden promised to work to bring more US investment to the region but said the restoration of power-sharing was 'critical for the future of Northern Ireland'.
'Power and possibilities of peace'
Speaking from the renovated city centre campus, President Biden said the site reflected the progress made in Northern Ireland.
"I came here in '91 and you couldn't have a glass building like this here in this neighbourhood," he said.
"I don't think it would have stood up very well, but things have changed."
He added: "It's good to see Belfast, a city that's alive with commerce, art and, I would argue, inspiration — the dividends of peace are all around us.
President Biden delivers his speech at Ulster University’s Belfast campus (Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)"This very campus is situated at an intersection where conflict and bloodshed once held a terrible sway.
"The idea, as I said, to have a glass building here when I was here in '91 was highly unlikely.
"Where barbed wire once sliced up the city, today we find a cathedral of learning built of glass to let the light shine in and out.
"It just has a profound impact for someone who has come back to see it.
"It’s an incredible testament to the power and the possibilities of peace."
U.S. cross-party support for peace
Biden then praised those who worked for a resolution in Northern Ireland, stressing the significance of the achievement by claiming 'peace was not inevitable'.
Highlighting the work of pioneering political and community leaders in Northern Ireland, complemented by US assistance in the form of friend and US Special Envoy George Mitchell, the president said that special relationship would continue in order to maintain a hard-won peace.
"Every person killed in the Troubles left an empty chair at the dining room table and a hole in the heart that was never filled for the ones they lost," he said.
"Peace was not inevitable, we can't ever forget that, there was nothing inevitable about it."
Guests line each floor of the campus building to listen to President Biden (Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)He added: "I want all of you to know… American people are with you every step of the way.
"Those of you who've been to America know there is a large population that is invested in what happens here, that cares a great deal about what happens here.
"Supporting the people of Northern Ireland, protecting the peace and preserving the Belfast Good Friday Agreement is a priority for Democrats and Republicans alike in the United States.
"That is unusual today because we've been very divided in our parties.
"This is something that brings Washington together, it brings America together.
'A goal that was so far away'
"I spoke about this with Northern Ireland's political leaders as well the Taoiseach at our St Patrick's Day celebration at the White House — it has been a key focus for me throughout my career.
"I remember working as a senator to see how the United States could support and encourage, bit by bit, any move toward peace.
"I got elected in 1972 as a 29-year-old kid to the United States Senate and it was just the start of it, it seemed like it was a goal that was so far away.
"I remember coming here, as I said, in '91, seeing a city divided and barricaded, then in '94 when the ceasefire was declared, it was like a sea change.
"The tide of violence began to recede, hope rolling in [and] in 1998, overwhelming joy.
"It's hard to communicate just how deeply invested in your success the people across the United States are and those who have been there know it."
'Your future is America's future'
Telling the audience that 'peace and economic opportunity go together', Mr Biden said Northern Ireland was well-placed to continue to capitalise on US investment.
The North's GDP had doubled since 1998 thanks, in part, to $2bn generated by US investment, with more businesses keen to follow suit.
Indeed, Joe Kennedy III, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, is to lead a trade delegation of American companies to the North later this year.
That potential, coupled with Northern Ireland's young, dynamic entrepreneurs who no longer feel compelled to move abroad, was a recipe for success, said Biden, but it hinged on a return to power-sharing.
"Your history is our history but even more importantly, your future is America's future," he said.
"Today's Belfast is the beating heart of Northern Ireland and is poised to drive unprecedented economic opportunity and investment from communities across the UK, across Ireland and across the United States."
President Biden with actor James Martin, star of the Oscar-winning short film An Irish Goodbye (Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)He added: "As a friend, I hope it's not too presumptuous for me to say that I believe democratic institutions, established through the Good Friday Agreement, remain critical for the future of Northern Ireland.
"It's a decision for you to make, not for me to make, but it seems to me they're related.
"An effective, devolved government reflects the people of Northern Ireland and is accountable to them.
"A government that works to find ways through hard problems together is going to draw even greater opportunity in this region, so I hope the Assembly and the Executive will soon be restored.
"That's a judgement for you to make, not me, but I hope it happens, along with the institutions that facilitate north-south and east-west relations, all of which are vital pieces of the Good Friday Agreement.
"For, in politics, no matter what divides us, if we look hard enough, there are always areas that are going to bring us together.
"Standing for peace and rejecting political violence must be one of those things."
Following his speech in Belfast, President Biden headed for Co. Louth, where he was set to explore his Irish roots.
He will also visit Dublin and Mayo during his trip to Ireland.
