LONDON (AA) - Republic of Ireland President Michael Higgins will be in the UK for a three-day state visit this April.
President Higgins will be the first Irish head of state to pay a state visit the UK. Higgins' trip comes after the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland in 2011 which made her the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1922.
President Higgins' official Dublin residence, Aras an Uachtarain, confirmed that the president and his spouse have accepted an invitation from the Queen for a three-day visit in April - from the 8th to the 10th.
The last British monarch to visit Ireland before the tensions began between the UK and Republic of Ireland was King George V in 1911.
Higgins' visit is assessed as a "positive step forward" for the Anglo-Irish relations. In addition, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny welcomed the news with a statement saying, "This is a further demonstration of the warm and positive relationship that now exists between Ireland and the UK."
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