Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there is a “real possibility” Northern Ireland’s power-sharing institutions could return before Christmas or in the New Year.
“For now, it’s still plan A,” he told reporters at a Fine Gael conference in Co Kildare.
“We still believe it’s possible to have the executive and assembly, all institutions of the Good Friday Agreement up and running, perhaps the next few weeks, perhaps in the new year.
“And there are contacts, there are discussions going on behind the scenes at the moment, and they’re making some progress.”
He added: “I’m probably a little bit more encouraged now than maybe I was a few weeks ago, but not by any means complacent about the difficulties that are going to arise.
“And I think the British-Irish Council next week in Dublin, and the (British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference) is an opportunity to further develop that.
“I believe there is a real possibility that we could get the assembly and executive up and running again, either before Christmas or in the new year.”
It comes as the DUP said it is awaiting action from the British government over long-running talks to address unionist concerns on post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Devolved government in Northern Ireland has been on hold for more than a year-and-a-half amid the DUP’s stand-off with ministers over new rules around the movement of goods to and from Great Britain.
The British government agreed the Windsor Framework with the EU earlier this year in an attempt to address concerns raised.
However, the DUP has been in talks with the Government since then and are refusing to re-enter the Stormont Assembly and Executive until remaining gaps are addressed.
