US prez Biden visits Belfast for 'Good Friday Agreement' anniversary

US President Joe Biden has landed in Northern Ireland's Belfast at the start of his four-day visit to the island of Ireland.

Biden's visit marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement - a peace deal which helped end 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, BBC reported.

The US President was greeted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he stepped off Air Force One at Belfast International Airport on Tuesday night. The two leaders met briefly before the President drove away in an armoured car.

Biden will meet Sunak again on Wednesday morning and then make a speech at Ulster University in Belfast, his only public engagement in Northern Ireland, before heading south across the border for three days of pomp and pilgrimage in Ireland, The Guardian reported.

Earlier, before taking off in Air Force One, Biden told reporters that he wanted to safeguard the Good Friday agreement, and support Sunak's post-Brexit deal for the region.

When asked about his top priority during the trip, he responded: "Make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor agreement stay in place, to keep the peace. That's the - that's the main thing. And it's look like we're going to - keep your fingers crossed."

--IANS

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