Tánaiste (deputy Irish prime minister) Simon Harris has said Irish unity is not his priority and he doesn’t expect a border poll to happen during the term of the current Irish government.
He was speaking after his first official visit to Stormont in his new role.
He met the first and deputy first ministers before having talks with other party leaders.
His party Fine Gael has recently set Irish unity as an objective and not just an aspiration
But Harris insisted on Tuesday that Irish unity is not a priority for him.
He said there has never been an “Irish head or deputy head who hasn’t aspired to a united Ireland but that is not where my priority is today”.
He added: “It is not where my priority is in my role as tánaiste”.
“My priority is in making sure the Irish government as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement plays a constructive role in ensuring all the institutions work to their full potential”, he said.
Sinn Féin had called on the new Dublin government to begin planning for a border poll which the party predicted will be held before 2030.
Asked if he expected to see a poll in the next five years the tánaiste said “it is not my expectation”.
