US Ambassador vows to defend and protect Good Friday Agreement

New US Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin has vowed to protect and defend the Good Friday Agreement, stating that she will be President Joe Biden's "eyes and ears" in Ireland. 

Speaking in an introductory video on her Twitter account, Cronin said the Good Friday Agreement was a "historic achievement that must be protected to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland". 

"President Biden entrusted me as the US Ambassador to Ireland at a very important moment," Cronin said in the video. "As his eyes and ears here in Ireland, I plan to engage with politicians and other stakeholders.

"President Biden is unequivocal in his support for the Good Friday Agreement." 

Hi there, I'm Claire Cronin, @POTUS's choice as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. ???? pic.twitter.com/6q2pCvq9aR

— Claire Cronin (@USAmbIreland) February 10, 2022

Biden has previously indicated his strong support for the Good Friday Agreement on numerous occasions. 

The US President told Taoiseach Micheál Martin during a virtual meeting last St. Patrick's Day that it is "critically important" that the agreement is maintained. 

Biden has repeatedly warned the British Government that he will not sign a free trade deal with the UK if it undermines the Good Friday Agreement. 

The agreement, which ensures that there are no hard borders on the island of Ireland, has come under threat in recent years due to the UK's exit from the European Union. 

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed as part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreements in order to prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, but unionist communities in Northern Ireland have voiced their opposition to the Protocol as it creates a de facto trade border in the Irish Sea. 

Northern Ireland First Minister Paul Givan stepped down last week in protest over the Protocol, while DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson described it as the "single greatest threat to Northern Ireland’s place in the UK in a generation". 

The DUP has called for the Protocol to be removed, which would further threaten the Good Friday Agreement.