[caption id="attachment_69283" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Nick Clegg and Enda Kenny at the summit. "]
Ireland and Britain need each other more than ever because of global uncertainty, the latest British-Irish Council get together has been told.
The 17th such event, held in Dublin last week and hosted by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, was addressed by British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who pledged co-operation with Ireland on a range of issues.
Also attending were Northern Ireland first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, and Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, who is pushing Scotland towards independence from the United Kingdom. Also attending were representatives from the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.
Mr. Clegg also held separate meetings with President Michael D. Higgins, Mr. Kenny, Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore and Minister for Enterprise, Richard Bruton.
During his first official visit to Ireland, Clegg also stressed the need for unity between the countries in the context of Europe, adding that "the symbolism and success" of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Ireland last year was recognized worldwide.
"The legacy of history has sometimes shackled our friendship. After this last historic year, surely we can say our friendship is shackled no longer. For many people, this is the closest we have been in living memory, some would say the closest we have ever been," he said.
"The challenges we face have brought the importance of our friendship into stark focus. We see clearly that so much more unites us than divides us, that we are stronger together, standing shoulder to shoulder as real and equal partners, than we are when we stand apart, and we can play our part together in leading a European recovery."
Mr. Gilmore and Mr. Clegg, who are direct governing counterparts, signed a "memorandum of understanding" that pledged closer cooperation on consular support during international crises.
The pact includes an agreement to share information on crisis planning, a staff exchange program between the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and improvements in cooperation on staff consular training.
The Dublin summit was the latest "meeting of the Isles," which was established as part of the Good Friday Agreement to develop relations between Ireland and Britain.
However, the big issue overshadowing the conference was that of Scottish independence. In a week that Scottish First Minister Salmond announced he would publish proposals for an independence referendum for the country in the autumn of 2014, he also accused the British government of "bullying" Scottish people over independence, a claim Mr. Clegg denied while saying that the government in London wanted direct talks with the devolved Scottish administration on the issue.
