The Taoiseach has said he is "really looking forward" to US President Joe Biden's visit to Ireland next month.
Leo Varadkar was speaking as he began a three-day visit to the United States with a series of events in Washington DC.
The trip will culminate with meetings with President Biden and Congressional leaders on St Patrick's Day.
Mr Varadkar's visit started with a series of business and science events to promote exports to the US.
He will also deliver a keynote address to the US Chamber of Commerce, while there will be a number of events tomorrow associated with the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which falls next month.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Mr Varadkar said: "[Joe Biden] received invitations from both the British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, and it's a long-standing invitation, so I look forward to talking to him about his plans to travel to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
"I'm really looking forward to that visit.
"In many ways President Biden is coming home. He speaks of himself as being an Irish person, an Irish-American, and we're going to roll out the red carpet and we're going to be making sure he feels very welcome.
"And we'll particularly want to thank him, and thank America, for the pivotal role they've played both in helping to build our economy and also helping to build the peace in Ireland."
With no Congress in session this week, all the political events are on Friday, including a breakfast meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and a bilateral meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office.
Mr Varadkar will also meet Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy on Capitol Hill.
He will then take part in the traditional shamrock bowl ceremony in the White House.
Mr Varadkar said the US had been "a force for good when it comes to the peace process" and on building a shared island.
He said that Ireland's relationship with the US was "very much a two-way street", with nearly 300,000 people in Ireland working in US-based companies and Ireland the ninth biggest investor in the US.
"That's not bad for a country of only five million people, so very much a two-way relationship, and one we want to build in the years ahead."
The Taoiseach said he would speak to President Biden on Friday about his own upcoming visit, to thank him for his role in Brexit and his leadership on Ukraine.
"Something that Europe really values is American leadership when it comes to defending democracy and freedom around the world," he added.
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Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he believes there will be an announcement soon on the dates for President Biden's visit to Ireland and that the Government is "very much looking forward" to him "coming home" next month.
Mr Biden has confirmed that he intends to visit Ireland and Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said there have been indications for "quite a while" that Mr Biden might visit the island of Ireland.
When asked if Mr Biden should address Stormont if it is not sitting, he said the President has received many invitations and this creates its own challenges.
Mr Martin said everyone is focused on the restoration of the Stormont, but everybody needs time to assess the Windsor Framework.
He said the US administration has always been supportive and anxious to facilitate the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, while also being conscious of the issues that have arisen as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
A DUP MP has said he will welcome Mr Biden to Northern Ireland if "he wants to come", but said if he is coming to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, he has to realise that "it's in tatters".
Speaking on the same programme, Sammy Wilson said the GFA "has been ripped up by the EU and the UK government" and the Irish Government "embeddedness".
He said the assurances, which unionists had about their status within the UK not being changed, "has been removed."
"The safeguards of cross community voting on controversial issues such as the application of EU law in Northern Ireland have been removed as well, so if he's coming, I don't think he's going to have a great deal to celebrate."
St Patrick's Day ministerial assignments include:
- Taoiseach Leo Varadkar - Washington
- Tánaiste Micheál Martin - New York, Boston
- Minister Eamon Ryan - Singapore and China - Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai
- Minister Michael McGrath - Chicago and Toronto
- Minister Paschal Donohoe - Frankfurt, Cologne and Berlin
- Minister Simon Coveney - Australia: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth
- Minister Norma Foley - Philadelphia
- Minister Catherine Martin - Los Angeles, San Diego
- Minister Darragh O'Brien - Atlanta and Savannah
- Minister Heather Humphreys - London and England
- Minister Charlie McConalogue - New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
- Minister Roderic O'Gorman - India: Delhi, Mumbai, and Dhaka in Bangladesh
- Minister Stephen Donnelly - Canada
- Minister Simon Harris - San Francisco and Vancouver
Additional reporting Sean Whelan, Eoin Ó Catháin
