I am delighted to welcome Prime Minister Theresa May to Dublin for the first time since she took office.

The Prime Minister’s visit today is very timely.

As everyone knows, the relationship between our two countries, and our common interests, are now facing great challenges. 

And yet, these challenges arise when we have seen that relationship grow and deepen in recent years like never before. 

We must, and we will, draw on the strength and depth of that relationship as we work our way forward together.

Our discussions today take place as the UK prepares to leave the EU, while Ireland remains a fully committed member and will participate in the upcoming negotiations as one of the EU 27 Member States.

Although our EU paths may be diverging, our common interests remain and we are committed to working together on them.

Our meeting today covered a wide range of issues.

We discussed the recent political developments in Northern Ireland and the implications that Brexit will have for the North and for relationships across these islands.

We have once again reiterated our joint and continuing commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and its Institutions and our shared desire to see a fully functioning Executive back in place as soon as possible.

I emphasised to the Prime Minister the importance of finding a way forward on outstanding commitments, and in particular on issues like the Legacy Institutions under the Stormont House Agreement, and the Irish language. 

We will maintain very close contact over the coming weeks and we both hope that the current election campaign will be calm and respectful.

Against this background, we considered the enormous challenges that Brexit presents for Northern Ireland given the unique circumstances that apply there, including its particular geography and history.

We are agreed on the importance of our two governments working together to ensure that the framework of the Good Friday and successor agreements is fully preserved in the upcoming Brexit negotiations and outcomes. 

We discussed the necessity of ensuring the continued free flow of trade on the island and the need to avoid a hard border.  I made clear that, in my view, any manifestation of a hard border would have very negative consequences. 

For our part, we will continue engage with our EU colleagues on the challenges of  Brexit for the peace process, as well as issues arising from the nature and depth of the unique economic and trading ties between Ireland and the UK.

Our two governments are agreed that a close, and friction-free, economic and trading relationship between the UK and the EU, including Ireland, is in our best interests.

As the UK prepares for its formal notification under Article 50, we want to see those deep trading ties between our two countries recognised and facilitated. 

That will continue to be an absolute priority for my Government, not just in our discussions with the British Government but also with our EU partners as we prepare for the negotiation process on the EU side of the table.

Prime Minister May and I also took the opportunity today to reaffirm our commitment to maintaining the Common Travel Area and agreed to continue working together to this end.

Our discussions also touched on the importance of our future co-operation in key areas such as agriculture and food, energy, security and criminal justice, education and culture.

I want to thank the Prime Minister for our meeting today.   We have had a frank but constructive discussion and identified a number of areas where we have further work to do together. 

I am confident that the strengthening and deepening of our relationship in recent years will stand to us as we face into the challenges that lie ahead.