Taoiseach Micheál Martin has spoken with US president-elect Joe Biden by phone this afternoon.
In what was described as a "warm conversation," Mr Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016.
Mr Martin congratulated Mr Biden and Kamala Harris on their "remarkable" election victory, while the US president-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement.
I’ve had a warm and engaging call with US President Elect @joebiden He brings tremendous knowledge & understanding to his new role, and has a great love for his Irish heritage. He underlined his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement & we spoke of importance of multilateralism..
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 10, 2020
Mr Martin said he also invited Mr Biden and his wife Jill Biden "to come back to Ireland when we will properly mark their success".
"They discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the Good Friday Agreement and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland," a Government statement said of the call.
"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 Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change."
Deleted tweet
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Martin posted a swiftly deleted tweet saying he had spoken to Mr Biden.
Mr Martin wrote: “Just finished a very positive call with US President Elect @JoeBiden.”
The call would be among the first the US president-elect has had with world leaders, following one on Monday Mr Biden had with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Earlier this afternoon, a Government source said a phone call was being arranged between Mr Martin and Mr Biden but it had not yet happened. The source said the tweet was sent in error.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Mr Martin said the Irish Government was “particularly pleased” that Mr Biden had “won the confidence of the American people”.
“It’s fair to say I think the most Irish of Irish presidents since John F Kennedy,” he said of Mr Biden.
He is as we know proud of his Irish roots and without doubt a long-standing friend of Ireland
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Biden’s election was “good for Ireland in many ways”.
Ms McDonald told the Dáil: “He is as we know proud of his Irish roots and without doubt a long-standing friend of Ireland.
“During the presidential election campaign and indeed throughout his time in office he has acted to promote and protect peace, progress and the Good Friday Agreement.
“He comes to the office of president at a time of threat from the British Government with Brexit and their refusal to honour agreements looming large.”
“The election of Joe Biden has the potential to reshape the nature of the Brexit negotiation particularly with regards to the aggressive and arrogant approach taken by the Tory Government and Boris Johnson to Irish interests,” she added.
“Central to this game-playing has been Mr Johnson’s dangerous Internal Markets Bill,” Ms McDonald said of the controversial legislation that would see the UK government set aside key parts of the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the European Union, breaking an international treaty.
I just spoke to @JoeBiden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 10, 2020
It comes as UK prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had spoken with Mr Biden in a Twitter post.
“I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic,” Mr Johnson said.
