Shamrock ceremony is ‘important’ says Leo of trip to US
LEO Varadkar yesterday hailed the handing over of Shamrock in the White House as ‘an important ceremony’ of enormous value.
The annual event allows ‘meetings with the president, the vice president, with governors, senators, members of the cabinet and to put across our perspective and analysis’, he said.
However, the Taoiseach admitted he did not know if it will be his last time participating in the shamrock ceremony with the US President.
With a general election expected within the next 12 months and the possibility that Fine Gael may
‘We can put across our perspective’
not be returned to government, this year’s trip to Washington may be the last that Varadkar makes as head of Government.
The Taoiseach also defended the shamrock ceremony and said it was one of only many events that took place during a week of engagements. Asked if it would be his last trip as leader of the Republic, he replied: ‘You are asking me two questions. When is the next election and are we going to be able to form a government afterwards and all those things are yet to be determined.’
He added: ‘The engagements that happen here are about a lot more than the shamrock ceremony. I think that’s to misunderstand what me as Taoiseach and previous taoisigh do here.
‘That’s a particular ceremony, and it’s an important one. What’s of enormous value, is the ability to have these meetings with the president, the vice president, with governors, senators, members of the cabinet and to put across our perspective and analysis.
‘And it’s interesting to hear other people’s perspectives and understand what they are doing.
‘We are a small country, we can use our voice. And we can call for an immediate ceasefire as we have for quite some time now. A country that’s big and powerful and influential like America.
‘They don’t just make it happen by calling for it, they have to try and negotiate it and make it happen. That’s what they are doing.’
He rejected the idea that he could have boycotted the shamrock ceremony but got the meeting with Biden. ‘I don’t think it would have been the wise decision for me to take the time in the Oval Office and then say that I won’t participate in a ceremony that goes back 40 years.’