Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that he hopes the expected Brexit resolution will "reset" Britain and Ireland’s relationship and start a "new chapter".
He made the comments just hours before the expected announcement from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this Monday afternoon.
Ms von der Leyen flew to London for the final round of Brexit negotiations and an update on the controversial Northern Irish protocol is expected in a number of hours.
READ MORE - More than half of Irish businesses hit by increased regulatory burden due to Brexit
It is anticipated that a new red and green lane system will operate for goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. Goods remaining in Northern Ireland will not be subjected to checks, while goods travelling on to the Republic of Ireland will be.
Questions still remain, however, about whether there will be agreement on how EU law will be applied to the Northern Ireland Assembly. One of the DUP's main concerns is opposition to the European Court of Justice having any jurisdiction in the region. However, it has now been reported that the DUP is set to agree to the deal.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said that he hoped that the new agreement between the UK and EU will help to fix relations between Ireland and the UK.
The Tánaiste said: "[The relationship breakdown] is one of the great regrets of Brexit that I have.
"On the bigger geopolitical issues such as the war on Ukraine, the energy crisis, climate change, migration, there is a need for a very strong and harmonious relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. That then feeds into the British-Irish relationship.
"It's fair to say that the Brexit situation, the protocol, all of those issues have, I think, created the challenges for the British-Irish relationship over the last three years.
"I think the resolution of these issues will give an opportunity to really reset the British-Irish relationship into the future.
"It's very, very important for us that the EU-UK relationship is normalised - to use President von der Leyen’s words, that the UK is seen as a partner and a friend and not as a source of ongoing friction between the EU and the United Kingdom.
"In the words of the President, it's a new chapter and that's how we see it also."
Mr Martin added that it is important that the resolution of the Northern Irish protocol would see the Northern Irish Assembly back up and running after nearly a year.
The Tánaiste stated that it was "clear that significant progress had been made" and that "trust had built up" over the last number of months.
He said that the UK Government’s decision to open up data sharing for trade with the EU was a "game changer".
Mr Martin said that while he respects the DUP’s right to consider the deal, he believes that the EU has "listened to the concerns" and that the "key issues that have been identified have been responded to in a substantial way".
Ms von der Leyen met with Mr Sunak for talks in London this morning and will now meet King Charles to discuss the deal.
A press conference with the European Commission President and the British Prime Minister is due to take place at 3:30pm, before Mr Sunak makes a statement to the House of Commons this evening.
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