US President Joe Biden called Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Monday, March 25, less than a week after Varadkar's surprise resignation announcement.
Biden called Varadkar "to wish to him well in whatever lies ahead," the Department of the Taoiseach said on Monday evening.
Varadkar thanked Biden for his good wishes and paid warm tribute to the role the President has played in advancing US-Ireland relations, which, the Department said, "have never been better."
The Taoiseach also took the opportunity to brief the President on the upcoming meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council, which will take place on April 8, and which will mark another important step forward in restoring the institutions under the Good Friday Agreement.
The Taoiseach told the President that, all going well, his successor will be appointed on April 9 and looks forward to continuing to work with the US on global affairs, including Ukraine and the Middle East, and to continuing to strengthen ties between Ireland and the US.
The Taoiseach wished the President the best of luck in November, the Department added.
In its own statement, The White House said on Monday that Biden spoke with Varadkar "to recognize his seven years of service as Taoiseach and Tánaiste.
“Having recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the White House, they reflected on their cooperation over the years on shared priorities, particularly deepening U.S.-Ireland ties between our people and our economies.
“They noted recent progress in Northern Ireland with the restoration of its Executive and Assembly, reaffirming the critical role these institutions play in preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
“The President conveyed that he looks forward to continuing to build a vibrant future for U.S.-Irish relations with the new Taoiseach, once elected by the Dáil.”
Varadkar's surprise announcement on March 20 that he would be resigning as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael came just days after he met with Biden in Washington, DC for the annual St. Patrick's Day engagements.
(The Taoiseach had faced calls to boycott the annual visit due to the US response to the war in Gaza, but argued that doing so would be a "big mistake." In Washington, he reiterated calls for a ceasefire.)
Varadkar has since revealed that he had been considering stepping down since the holidays, but that he only "definitively" decided to resign while in the US.
In the wake of Varadkar's resignation, Simon Harris has become the new leader of Fine Gael and is poised to become Taoiseach next month.
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