First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly hosted a North-South Ministerial Council meeting in Armagh. Irish ministers attended, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris, and Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee. Stormont ministers John O’Dowd, Paul Givan, Naomi Long, Andrew Muir, and junior minister Aisling Reilly also took part. Irish ministers Jack Chambers and Darragh O’Brien joined the event.

The council operates under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It addresses mutual interests in agriculture, education, environment, health, tourism, and transport. Policies receive agreement but apply separately in each area. Plenary meetings occur several times yearly, alternating between Dublin and Armagh.

O'Neill stated that early Great Britain election results signal voter fatigue with Westminster constraints. She noted Sinn Féin's alignment with SNP and Plaid Cymru on self-determination issues and pledged cooperation with all parties. Little-Pengelly attributed results to frustration over slow delivery on public services, not constitutional matters.

Martin described local and general elections as distinct. He observed political fragmentation as a Europe-wide trend and affirmed Ireland's strong ties with the UK government. Harris called Ireland-UK and UK-EU relations the strongest since Brexit.

Discussions covered energy security, interconnectors, the Ulster Canal, A5 road, Ulster University’s Magee campus, and Dublin-Londonderry air links. Little-Pengelly raised Windsor Framework bureaucracy burdens on NI businesses. The meeting followed a Belfast-Dublin faster train signing, set for 2030 service.

O'Neill highlighted global volatility effects and aid for affected people. Little-Pengelly sought UK involvement in EU defence funds and cooperation on cyber security and undersea cables. McEntee stressed joint EU-UK-US work on security and underwater infrastructure.