"He brings tremendous knowledge and understanding to his new role."

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has had an "engaging" phone call with US president-elect Joe Biden. Martin announced the news last night, sharing that he had had a 20 minute or so conversation where he and Biden discussed the Good Friday Agreement, multiculturalism, and GAA. "I’ve had a warm and engaging call with US President Elect Joe Biden," said Martin on Twitter. "He brings tremendous knowledge and understanding to his new role, and has a great love for his Irish heritage. He underlined his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and we spoke of importance of multilateralism. "For example, the Paris Accord and the WHO. I congratulated him on the historic nature of his election and that of Kamala Harris and we agreed to work closely together. I also invited him and Dr Biden to come back to Ireland when we will properly mark their success." RTÉ News later reported that Biden spoke "at length" about his family in Ireland, his desire to return for a visit, and Mayo's win over Roscommon in the Connacht Football Championship last weekend. A statement released by the government added that Martin and Biden briefly discussed a Brexit deal that would respect the Good Friday Agreement, as well as the world's financial recovery from Covid-19. "In a warm conversation, President-elect Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016," it read. "The President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement and they discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the GFA and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland. "They looked forward to working together bilaterally and across a range of international areas including EU-US relations, the UN - including the Security Council, and on the important global challenges of Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change." Biden had congratulatory phone calls with Ireland, the UK, Germany, and France.