UK, Ireland reaffirm Northern Ireland agreement after Trump sparks fresh unification debate

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheal Martin on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement, Downing Street said in a statement after the two leaders met in Manchester."The two leaders began by reaffirming the close partnership between the UK and Ireland, as well as their shared commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement," Reuters quoted a Downing Street spokeswoman as saying.The statement follows recent comments by US President Donald Trump during his visit last week to Ireland, where he pushed Irish unification onto the political agenda by stating he would "love to see Ireland and Northern Ireland unified."Established in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement ended 30 years of violent conflict between Irish nationalists advocating for a united Ireland and unionists wishing to remain part of the United Kingdom. Under its provisions, a referendum on Irish unification can only be called at the discretion of the British government.Also, on September 14, the first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales gathered in Welsh capital, Cardiff, where they signed a Memorandum of Understanding declaring that "Westm...