DUP Aims For 'Constructive Relationship' With Irish Govt

The DUP aims to establish a "constructive relationship based on mutual respect" with the Irish government, party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

Speaking after a telephone meeting with Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Sir Jeffrey said: "It is regrettable that for long periods Dublin ignored the views of unionists with regard to the NI Protocol and failed to recognise that post-Brexit arrangements required the support of unionists as well as nationalists.

"We have engaged constructively with key stakeholders in London, Dublin, Brussels and Washington and emphasised that for Northern Ireland to move forward, there must be respect for unionists and nationalists.

"We also discussed legacy and I emphasised that victims must always have access to justice and encouraged Micheál Martin to challenge Sinn Fein's continued glorification of the IRA. Lauding murderers of the 1970s sends a confused message to those young people looking at the republican terrorists of 2023.

"Whilst the Republic of Ireland has been swift to comment on Northern Ireland legacy issues, I reminded the Tánaiste of the need for legacy issues to be addressed in his own jurisdiction."