US Secretary of State calls on new Stormont leaders to deliver prosperity for the North

US SECRETARY OF State Antony Blinken has called on Sinn Féin’s Michele O’Neill and the DUP’s Emma Little-Pengelly to “work collaboratively to deliver prosperity for the people of Northern Ireland”.

Blinken yesterday spoke to newly appointed First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, as well as DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson.

He also congratulated O’Neill and Little-Pengelly on their appointments and “welcomed the restoration of the power-sharing government at Stormont”, according to Blinken’s spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Two weeks ago, the Stormont Executive was restored after a nearly two-year absence due to the DUP’s backlash against post-Brexit trading arrangements.

In taking on the role of First Minister, O’Neill made history in becoming the first nationalist to hold the position.

Upon accepting the nomination, O’Neill said it was a moment of “equality and progress” and a new opportunity for both sides of the chamber to work together for a better future.

Blinken used his call yesterday to “encourage the leaders to work collaboratively to deliver prosperity for the people of Northern Ireland and to model cooperative power-sharing for the world to see”.

File image of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

He also “affirmed the US commitment to Northern Ireland’s future and to preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement for all”.

Meanwhile, O’Neill appeared on RTÉ’s Late Late Show this week and called on political leaders in the North to “step outside of our traditional comfort zones”.

She added: “I’m a Republican, I’m very comfortable in my own skin.

“I know who I am and what I want to achieve, but I also think that if we’re going to lead and be political leaders in today’s society, 26 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, then we all have to be focused on the future,” said O’Neill.

“I do think things that are very important symbolically, in particular for those from the British tradition, for example, myself attending the Queen’s funeral, or King Charles’s coronation, that’s really important if I’m going to represent everybody in society and I believe that I can fairly represent everybody in society.”