Arlen Foster has promised long-term results from the G8
FERMANAGH MLA Arlene Foster has spoken of her “excitement and honour” at greeting the US president as he descended the infamous Air Force One.
The Enterprise Minister also praised the peaceful protesters who marched from Enniskillen town centre to the gates securing the Lough Erne resort.
Mrs Foster believes the G8 was an opportunity to propel Enniskillen onto the world stage and a chance to show off Fermanagh.
“I think Monday surpassed everyone’s expectations in every sense and it gave the opportunity to show the world and the media how beautiful Fermanagh is,” she said.
“It was good to see that everything, including the protests, went off peacefully.
“There’s already been a large number of benefits to Fermanagh hosting the G8 Summit, particularly the amount of money spent on Enniskillen and other towns, from the Department of Social Development, Department of Environment and the Department of Justice. There has been many benefits for the county.
“The longer term tourism benefits for Fermanagh will be discussed at the Northern Ireland Investment Conference which will include a focus on Fermanagh in terms of growth and jobs creation.”
The Enterprise minister went on to praise the peaceful protest.
She added: “People have a right to protest in a democratic society and the right to express their views in a peaceful way.
“We have had a number of events over the past week including a Christian service on Sunday which I had the pleasure of attending.
“There were different events across Fermanagh which went right up to those people who don’t want the G8 at all. Larger numbers of protesters were expected but for me the most important part is that it passed peacefully.
“Now that the G8 is over I hope Enniskillen will go down as the place where leaders came to a consensus on difficult issues,” she added.
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