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Minister commends Cooperation Ireland

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Pierce O’Reilly

The minister for Foreign Affairs in Ireland, Brian Cowen, commended the work of Cooperation Ireland while speaking at the organization’s annual meeting in Dublin recently.

"I am very conscious of the pioneering role Cooperation Ireland has played in the journey toward closer North-South partnership," Cowen said. "As a result of your work over the last 20 years in encouraging and promoting cross-border cooperation, we have witnessed hundreds of examples of successful interactions between individuals and groups from both parts of this island."

The organization’s chairman, Patrick Murphy, highlighted the three most important aspects of Cooperation Ireland’s work: its promotion of mutual understanding and respect, practical cooperation and people.

The minister went on to say that an independent North-South consultative forum "could provide an effective mechanism through which the valuable insights and expertise of cross-border organizations — such as Cooperation Ireland — could be usefully channeled into the wider process of North-South partnership."

Cowen stated in his speech that he would welcome the establishment of a North-South consultative forum.

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"My personal view is that the establishment of such a forum could represent a logical ‘people’s dimension’ to the North-South architecture established under the [Good Friday] agreement," he said.

Cooperation Ireland is a leading charity working to bring a lasting peace to the island of Ireland. Active since 1979, Cooperation Ireland is helping to make permanent peace a reality. It does this by bringing people together from different religious backgrounds in Northern Ireland and by bringing people together from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Cooperation Ireland is non-sectarian and non-religious and draws its support from people from all backgrounds in Ireland, Britain and the U.S. Its office in New York is at 1177 Ave. of Americas, 18th Floor, or log onto www.cooperationireland.org.

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