Any unilateral action to not implement parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol by the UK will undermine the peace process and destabilise the achievement of the Good Friday Agreement, the Ambassador of Ireland to Cyprus told the Cyprus News Agency,Connor Long.
The Irish Ambassador was speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing on the Bloomsday celebrations, which will take place worldwide, including in Nicosia, on June 16.
Commenting on recent developments regarding Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol, Mr. Long said that the protocol was formulated and agreed jointly between the EU and the current UK government to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and the achievements of the peace process, including the avoidance of a hard border on the island of Ireland, and recalled that Northern Ireland voted very strongly in favour of remaining in the EU.
In addition, Mr. Long said that the protocol protects the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process from the challenges posed by Brexit, in particular the type of Brexit the UK government has chosen, including its decisions to leave both the single market and the customs union.
"The way forward must be through a commitment to agreed and shared solutions. Unilateral action, which will not effectively implement an international agreement such as the Protocol, will not build trust between the EU and the UK, nor will it support the peace process in Northern Ireland," the Irish diplomat stressed, adding that "we should closely monitor the process of executive formation that is concurrently underway in Northern Ireland. While a very clear majority of the elected members of the Legislative Assembly support the Protocol, the DUP remains the largest unionist party and its support will be essential to the formation of a new executive, seeking changes to the Protocol before returning to the Executive."
Long said that the Irish Government fully supports the approach taken by the European Commission and its Vice-President Maros Sefchowitz, noting that last October, the EU proposed ideas that would reduce controls and red tape, making the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland much smoother, adding that there were further possibilities to be explored in the package of proposals put forward last October.
"There is no lack of flexibility or creativity on the part of the EU, but what is needed now is a partner who is willing to engage constructively, not further unilateral action," said Mr Long, who also expressed his appreciation for the patience, continued support and solidarity of Cyprus and Ireland's other EU partners.
Asked about the potential risks of a possible deadlock in the negotiations, the Irish diplomat said it was regrettable that with so many important issues on the EU agenda, not just Russian aggression in Ukraine, new threats of unilateral action had once again brought Brexit to the fore.
"The EU has proposed concrete changes to the implementation of the Protocol in its October 2021 proposals and has shown that it remains open to discussions and to finding flexible solutions in the negotiations with the UK on the implementation of the Protocol. We are still awaiting the response from the UK side. We believe that any unilateral action not to implement parts of the Protocol by the UK would undermine the peace process and destabilise the achievement of the Good Friday Agreement," he noted, adding that the Irish Government wishes to continue to work with the UK to try to persuade it to abandon this proposed unilateral approach. "Only mutually agreed solutions can bring the legal certainty and predictability that people and businesses in Northern Ireland need."
Finally, asked to comment on whether the recent election results in Northern Ireland affect domestic political dynamics as well as relations with the UK, Long said it was important to recall that the Protocol protects the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions and fully recognises the constitutional position of Northern Ireland They want certainty and stability and the EU and the UK to work together to address the practical issues facing people and businesses in Northern Ireland," Long said, concluding that the views of the people of Northern Ireland are clear from the fact that the majority of members elected in the May Assembly elections support the Protocol.
Source: Cyprus Times
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