VP Pence: UK-Irish border should remain open after Brexit

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:00 PM PST – Mon. September 2, 2019

Vice President Mike Pence said he hopes the UK-Irish border will remain open after Brexit.

Ireland’s Minister of foreign affairs Simon Coveney, right, shakes hands with with US Vice President Mike Pence during their meeting, after he arrived at Shannon airport for the start of an official visit to Ireland, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

During his visit to Ireland Monday, Pence said, the U.S. would oppose a Brexit scenario that erodes the 1998 Belfast agreement. That accord is a peace deal, which ended a decades-long feud between Northern Irish unionists and Republicans.
Pence said Brexit should not threaten political stability on the Island of Ireland. “We understand these are complex issues. I’ll be in the UK meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in just a few days, Pence said during his meeting with Ireland’s Minister of foreign affairs Simon Coveney. “But I think the opportunity to better understand Ireland’s perspective and unique needs, particularly with regard to your northern border, will make us even better equipped to hopefully play a constructive role.”
Coveney said, the UK could reinstate border checks in Northern Ireland, despite British officials having repeatedly dismissed such allegations.