Ireland can always count on EU to stand by the Good Friday Agreement: EC president

European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said that the island of Ireland cannot have any hard border and that any solution reached must ensure the smooth functioning of the single market.

"Ireland can always count on the EU to stand by the Good Friday Agreement, there can be no hard border on the island of Ireland," the EC president stated on Thursday, on her visit to the Irish parliament in Dublin to mark the completion of 50 years of Ireland's membership of the European Union (EU).

"Joining the EU has unleashed Ireland'simmense potential and has profoundly transformed this country," Ursula von der Leyen said. The EC president further expressed her confidence in reaching a positive conclusion over Northern Ireland's post-Brexit trade issue if Britain is willing to reach a solution.

She had encouraging talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and added that a workable solution appeared to be within reach.

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The EC president said that the GDP of Ireland has increased from half to double the EU average after it became a part of the bloc and added that Ireland will need Europe's help to become non-reliant on Russian energy.

She called Ireland "a wind energy superpower", and added that it "can become a net exporter of energy" to help the EU replace Russian fuel, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Before addressing the parliament, Von der Leyen held talks with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin. The two leaders talked about the EU's current agenda, which included the need to strengthen the partnership of the EU with allies like the UK and the US.

Technical talks over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which makes checks on few goods being transported to Northern Ireland from the remaining United Kingdom mandatory, resumed earlier in October after seven months of silence.

"We have always shown flexibility, we will always have a constructive approach to these issues," said the EC president before meeting Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin. "If there is the political will in the UK, I am very confident that we can reach a positive conclusion," she added.

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