US President Biden visits Northern Ireland to mark anniversary of Good Friday Agreement

Joe Biden took a selfie with students from the University of Ulster

US President Joe Biden has celebrated 25 years of peace in Northern Ireland as he visited to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

This was a peace deal which helped bring an end to 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.

Mr Biden arrived Belfast International Airport on Tuesday evening and was greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. They had another meeting on Wednesday morning, before Mr Biden met politicians from Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the new University of Ulster buildings in Belfast, Mr Biden praised agreement and said peace in Northern Ireland was also a priority for Americans.

He also said he hoped that politicians at the Northern Ireland Assembly would soon be back working together again in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

What has President Biden done during his visit?

After meeting the UK Prime Minster Rishi Sunak, President Biden also had meetings with the leaders of the Northern Ireland assembly's five main political parties during his time in Belfast.

He also gave a speech at the new Ulster University buildings in Belfast.

In his speech, the US leader talked about the willingness of his nation to help preserve the "peace and prosperity" gained since the Good Friday Agreement.

He said Northern Ireland had been "transformed" and "made whole" by peace and promised that his country would continue to be Northern Ireland's partner in "building the future that the young people of our world deserve".

The president left Belfast on Wednesday afternoon to travel to the Republic of Ireland where he'll spend the remainder of his trip.

He'll meet the Irish president Michael D Higgins, and visit County Mayo and County Louth - where he has relatives - as well as Dublin.

Mr Biden regularly speaks of his Irish heritage and will be visiting some of his Irish relatives to talk about his roots.

What's the latest on the government in Northern Ireland?

Stormont is the home of the Northern Ireland government in Belfast

The political situation in Northern Ireland is complicated at the moment.

In May 2022, elections to the Northern Ireland assembly, which is where laws on certain matters concerning the country are made, took place.

The political party Sinn Féin won the most seats overall, taking over from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) who became the second biggest party.

However, unlike other parts of the UK where one party can govern alone if they win the most seats, in Northern Ireland the government has to be two political parties working together.

Despite the political disagreements, Northern Ireland remains a much more peaceful place which many say is because of the Good Friday Agreement

A new government can't form without the support of parties from both its nationalist and unionist communities, which is the current situation in the country.

The political parties are currently locked in a stand-off with each other due to arguments about the trading rules agreed since the UK left the European Union.

Although the politicians continue to disagree, there has been no return to the violence seen in Northern Ireland in the past and many people hope that a peaceful, power-sharing arrangement can be reached again soon.

"I hope the Assembly and the Executive will soon be restored" Mr Biden said, "That's a decision for you to make, not for me to make."