Tánaiste to meet Northern Ireland Secretary of State

Statement by the Tánaiste

I will meet with Secretary of State Paterson tomorrow morning in Dublin as part of our ongoing close contact on Northern Ireland.

The meeting is a useful opportunity to exchange views on a range of current, important, issues affecting the island of Ireland.

I have now met with Secretary of State Paterson on a number of occasions since becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs and, as ever, I appreciate the frankness and cooperation of my counterpart.

The visit of Queen Elizabeth marked a new era of even closer cooperation between our two countries and this can be best sustained through close contact on a regular basis.