It’s a very particular relationship, particularly in relation to foreign direct investment, on trade, in relation to our economy, so of course I will be there standing up for Northern Ireland, making sure that Northern Ireland’s voice is heard in DC that week.
It comes after First Minister Michelle O’Neill, in line with her Sinn Fein colleagues, said she will not attend the White House as part of “a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza”.
Irish premier Micheal Martin has yet to receive a formal invitation to a bilateral meeting with Mr Trump at the White House, but the Taoiseach has said he expects the meeting to go ahead.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump suggested Israel would turn Gaza over to the US for redevelopment into the “riviera of the Middle East”- involving a mass displacement of Palestinians from the territory.
Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has confirmed she will travel to Washington, DC next month for St Patrick’s Day.
