The following statement was issued today by Premier Danny Williams. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Premier's discussion with Irish Prime Minister

I rise today to inform this honourable house of a dinner that I attended on behalf of the province last Thursday evening in Ottawa. The dinner was hosted by Prime Minister Martin and held in honour of the Prime Minister of Ireland, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

I had the privilege of sitting next to Taoiseach Ahern for most of the evening, as Prime Minister Martin insisted that I take his seat next to the Taoiseach, so that we could discuss issues of mutual importance to Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador.

We share deep and profound roots as a province and country, as much of our cultural heritage is steeped in Irish tradition. We must continue to build on those traditions and further develop relationships with the Irish in areas of trade, commerce, investment and bi-lateral cooperation.

This is exactly what I discussed with the Taoiseach, and we agreed that much can be accomplished with a renewed Memorandum of Understanding between our jurisdictions. I am hopeful that this MOU can be signed during a provincial mission we are planning to Ireland this summer.

Newfoundland and Labrador can learn a great deal from the Irish experience. When Ireland joined the European Union in 1973, its economy was among the poorest in Europe. Today, it is the fastest growing EU economy. Ireland has been very successful in attracting investment and focusing on exports and it now boasts the youngest population in all Europe and an exceptional education system.

These sound like ambitious goals for this province given our current fiscal situation, however, these are the kinds of goals that this province must aspire to and with patience, cooperation and by making smart long-term decisions, we can be the next Ireland. If Ireland can do it, then Newfoundland and Labrador can certainly do it too.

I spoke extensively with the Taoiseach about how Ireland successfully turned its economy around, and how we can emulate that experience in this province.

Understanding the seriousness of our fiscal challenges, the Taoiseach was very forthcoming with sound advice on steps we must take to address our deficit so that we can grow our economy for a bright and prosperous future.

Our government looks forward to a renewed relationship with the Irish government and other partners, as we reaffirm our commitment to work together for the common good of Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador.

2004 03 22                                        1:45 p.m.