On Tuesday morning, dozens of police and special services arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during a major security operation ahead of the visit of US President Joe Biden, reports PA Media/dpa. Agerpres.

Air Force One will touch down at Belfast International Airport on Tuesday evening, kicking off Biden’s four-day visit to the island, the British province of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The visit was timed to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of violence.

In preparation for the visit, a large-scale security operation was launched on both sides of the border, the population was warned of delays in the areas that the American president will visit.

Bedford Street, the main thoroughfare into Belfast city centre, was closed to traffic, along with side streets around the Grand Central Hotel.

The street remained open to pedestrians while dozens of police and numerous armored vehicles filled the area.

Several police cars surrounded the University of Ulster, where Biden will inspect the new building on Wednesday before leaving for the Republic of Ireland.

Anne Tennyson, from Belfast, said she was delighted with the visit despite the tight security measures. “I think it’s great to see him come here. This is a fantastic. Belfast has cleaned up and prepared and it’s looking great,” she said.

However, the Northern Irish woman added that it is unfortunate that the American president is visiting at a time when the local executive is not working. “He is obviously a diplomat, so I would like him to use his diplomatic influence to bring them (unionists and republicans, ed.) together for the good of Northern Ireland,” she said.

The local institutions created after the Good Friday Agreement have been paralyzed for more than a year by disagreements over the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

The unionist DUP refuses to take part in government until post-Brexit provisions (customs controls, application of certain European rules, etc.) aimed at avoiding a return to a physical border with the Republic of Ireland are lifted.

Dorothy Wardlaw, who visited Belfast from Scotland, said the increased police presence in the city was “a bit frightening”. “I think it’s ridiculous, I really think it’s just a waste of money,” she said, before adding: “It’s a bit scary, it really scares you.”

It will be recalled that on Monday, the day before Biden’s visit, masked people attacked a police car with Molotov cocktails and other objects at a march against the Good Friday peace agreement in Londonderry.

Read also:

• Five things you should know 25 years after the peace agreement with Northern Ireland