Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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303. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken directly to the new US Vice President-elect since their appointment. [41409/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In addition to congratulating President-elect Biden, the Government has offered the warmest congratulations to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We recognise the significance of her election as the first woman and first person of colour to hold that office.

Although I have not spoken directly with the new Vice-President elect, the Taoiseach and President-elect Biden spoke by telephone last month, during which the President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement. In addition, they looked forward to working together bilaterally and across a range of international areas including EU-US relations, the UN, including the Security Council, and on the important global challenges of COVID19, economic recovery and climate change.

Ireland's relationship with the United States is built on a deep foundation of ancestral ties and decades of close political, diplomatic and economic engagement. Strengthening bilateral relations with the US is a priority for Ireland as set out in our Programme for Government,as wellin our Strategy for the US and Canada 2019-2025.

With each successive administration in the White House and each successive US Congress, our relationship has been valued and strengthened, to the benefit of our people on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to maintain close relations with Members of Congress and contacts from across the political spectrum, and will continue to seek opportunities to deepen and strengthen our bilateral relations with the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden. We look forward to working with the new administration to progress international peace and security, as well as with the United States Congress, across the aisle, to pursue comprehensive immigration reform in the US. We are also committed to strengthening transatlantic relations more broadly.

Ireland has always maintained close relations with the US and will continue to do so, including through our Embassy in Washington D.C., our other diplomatic Missions across the US and through the US Embassy in Dublin.

I hope that the President-elect and the Vice President-elect will visit Ireland, once the new administration is in place.