Press release

Secretary of State visits United States ahead of annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations

While there, the Secretary of State will conduct routine meetings with a number of US figures, and update them on the current political situation.

Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, is visiting Washington D.C. and New York ahead of the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

While there, the Secretary of State will conduct routine meetings with a number of US figures, and update them on the current political situation now that the Assembly and Executive are fully functioning. 

He will also engage with several business organisations and promote Northern Ireland as a fantastic place to live, work and invest, highlighting the thriving creative industries and innovative spirit within Northern Ireland that global investors witnessed at last year’s Investment Summit.

The celebrations cover a number of days with events in both locations and will provide an opportunity to further build and expand on the US-UK relationship as well as capitalise on the momentum of the Secretary of State’s visit to Washington at the end of January. 

Before departing for the United States, the Secretary of State said:

“I am absolutely thrilled to represent the UK Government in the United States this week as we begin the celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day. 

“The UK and US do more together than any other two countries in the world. The special relationship is highly valued by this Government and we continue to appreciate the strong relationships we’ve formed from leader level down.

“I look forward to meeting with US representatives and business organisations to update them on the monumental achievement of the return of power sharing in Northern Ireland and to highlight the fantastic investment opportunities waiting to be seized.”

Published 12 March 2024