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Charlie Flanagan very concerned at Arlene Foster's poaching claim
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said: "I'm very concerned at these remarks"
Minister for Foreign Minister Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said he is very concerned about allegations that government officials are "poaching" foreign investment from Northern Ireland.
Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster made the claim at her Democratic Unionist Party conference yesterday.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said: "I'm very concerned at these remarks."
Mr Flanagan also said he was "very concerned at the claim that representatives of the Irish Government where allegedly talking down the Northern Ireland economy".
He added: "I'm concerned that allegations of representatives of the Irish state were in any way poaching business."
Mr Flanagan said he had talks last night with Northern Ireland Economy Minister Simon Hamilton to express his concerns.
Ms Foster also used her speech at her party conference to claim that concerns in Dublin about Brexit were driven by political instability in the Republic.
Mr Flanagan addressed the row after holding talks with US secretary of state John Kerry as the key White House figure collected the Tipperary International Peace Prize.
Mr Kerry warned about risks to the peace process if there are changes to the border on the back of Brexit.
"People need to be really careful with downstream consequences, that one choice can have an impact on other aspects and whatever happens to the border, how that border access is managed," Mr Kerry said.
"It's really critical that it be done very thoughtfully and very sensitively so that it does not have any impact."
Mr Kerry also held talks with Mr Flanagan on Syria.
He declined to discuss the revived FBI investigation into emails linked to Hilary Clinton just days out from the US presidential election.
Mr Kerry said he had not been notified of the new inquiry in advance and that he had not been asked for information.
On Syria, the US Secretary of State said he hoped peace talks could begin in the next few months.
"I want to be very, very careful with any kind of prediction," he said. "But broadly put, is it possible?
"Yes it's possible. Provided Russia and the Iranians and the regime itself are willing to accept a reasonable approach put on the table by all sides, by all the other parties, in the hopes of being able to move toward that political discourse.
"We are not going to stop, not for one day, without any shame whatsoever in saying that."
Mr Kerry said the alternative was bombs on kids, schools and hospitals.
"We have a fundamental responsibility to try to push the process forward," he said. "My hope is that over the course of the next two or two-and-a-half months we might be able to find a way to get to the table and begin some kind of legitimate and long overdue conversation."
Mr Kerry travels on to London for talks tomorrow on the situation in Libya. He also defended the war on Islamic State.
"It isn't easy to say but I know I speak for my country when I say we don't wander the world in search of enemies," he said. "There are times when enemies come at us.
"Peace is not sustainable I'm afraid so long as a group like Daesh (Islamic State) about which there is nothing to negotiate.
"It is not a war between civilisations. It is a war by a nihilistic group against civilisation itself and so we have to stand up and never bow down to the doctrines of hate.
"And so in Iraq and Syria today we have to continue this fight."