The US government is committed to working with Ireland to safeguard “the shared security” of the two countries, its top diplomat has said.
In a statement to mark St Patrick’s Day, US secretary of state Marco Rubio also acknowledged Ireland was now the fifth-largest investor in the United States.
He said Irish investment supported more than 375,000 American jobs across all 50 states.
Rubio also said the United States was “committed to advancing fair trade policies that benefit us all”.
READ MORE
The message about investment and job creation by Irish companies in the United States is one the Government has been keen to stress in advance of the meeting on Tuesday in the White House between Taoiseach Micheál Martin and US president Donald Trump.
Rubio, in a statement issued by the State Department in Washington early on Tuesday morning, said the bond between the United States and Ireland was “truly special and enduring”.
“Over 30 million Americans claim Irish heritage, and Ireland’s contributions to American independence, from Charles Thomson’s design of the great seal of the United States to the nine signers of the declaration of independence of Irish origin, are woven into our nation’s founding,” he said.
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we look forward to deepening our partnership to meet the opportunities and challenges of today’s world. Our trade and investment relationship stands at over $1 trillion, with Ireland ranking as the fifth-largest foreign investor in the United States, supporting over 375,000 American jobs across all 50 states.
“We are committed to advancing fair trade policies that benefit us all. The United States and Ireland enjoy close co-operation, and we remain committed to working together to safeguard our shared security and address global challenges.
“Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh,” Rubio said.
In an address in Washington on Monday, the Taoiseach also emphasised the strong business links between the two countries.
Speaking at the St Patrick’s Day Business Leaders Luncheon he said that more than 800 US companies operated in Ireland, including many of the biggest names “who had found a European base from which to reach their global potential”.
However Martin said it was a “two-way street” as Ireland was now the fifth-largest investor in the United States.
Meanwhile, The Irish Times reported on Tuesday that the US ambassador in Dublin warned the Government last year that businesses had begun moving their future investments out of Ireland.
Department of Foreign Affairs files released under freedom of information legislation showed that during a meeting with Tánaiste Simon Harris last July, US ambassador Edward S Walsh “referred to contacts in business who are moving their investment pipeline out of Ireland”.
The documents, drawn up by Irish officials, show that Walsh told Harris, then minister for foreign affairs, this included “data centres due to future energy needs” and that he “also referred to planning-related challenges”.
In response, Harrris told Walsh that Ireland was developing a new liquefied natural gas facility, and flagged reforms to planning laws.
