Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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On 28 September, I travelled to the United States for a series of engagements in Washington D.C.

Over the course of the two-day visit, I met with senior members of Congress from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Representatives Richard Neal, Peter King, Brendan Boyle, Mary Gay Scanlon and other members of the Friends of Ireland caucus, as well as Senators Chris Murphy and Pat Toomey. I also met with National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien, and Deputy Secretary of State, Stephen Biegun.

As the first official visit to the United States since March, the two days offered a valuable opportunity to discuss key priorities, including Brexit, Northern Ireland and Ireland’s priorities for our term on the UN Security Council, with contacts from across the political spectrum.

There is a keen interest in the United States on the implications Brexit will have for the island of Ireland, North and South, and during several of these meetings, I discussed the current status of the Brexit negotiations and my concerns regarding the UK’s Internal Market Bill and its implications for the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland. Issues of immigration and the challenges faced by the undocumented Irish in America were also discussed.

I also had the opportunity to virtually address the annual Aspen Security Forum, where I discussed our upcoming membership of the UN Security Council and important foreign policy and defence issues.

In addition to political meetings, I had the chance to meet with members of the US Chamber of Commerce, and to reiterate the strength and importance of our economic relationship with the United States, which will be key as both countries look towards recovery following the global pandemic.

I was also delighted to participate virtually in the celebrations to commemorate the 175^thanniversary of the visit of Frederick Douglass to Ireland, and to announce a new partnership involving a fellowship programme in his name.

The visit came at an important time for both Ireland and the United States, and reinforced the commitment this Government has to strengthening both our bilateral relationship and wider transatlantic relations.