President Joe Biden's impending visit to Ireland could provide a 'renewed impetus' for the return of the Stormont Executive. That's the hope of the Minister for European Affairs who is travelling with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels today.
The Windsor Framework is among the items up for discussion, along with migration, energy and the Ukraine. Minister Peter Burke is hopeful that US and EU support will soon see the return of power-sharing in the north.
"I think it's a very sensitive time but also President Biden is coming to Ireland, all going well. If you look back on the history of Northern Ireland, the US has been a key interlocutory over the last few decades. So, hopefully that will provide a renewed impetus for all parties to come together and try and get the Executive back up and running in Northern Ireland.
"We know the citizens of Northern Ireland have voted for that Executive," he added.