Ireland’s prime minister has predicted it is “only a matter of time” before same-sex marriage is introduced in Northern Ireland.
Leo Varadkar spoke out in what he called a “support for equality” after he attended a Belfast Pride breakfast in the second day of his first official visit there.
Mr Varadkar – who is the Republic's first openly gay leader – championed the LGBT cause just days after Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of the Democratic Unionist Party warned him not to “interfere in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland”.
Same-sex marriage is outlawed in Northern Ireland – unlike in the Republic and the rest of the UK where it is legal.
Mr Varadkar said change to the law in Northern Ireland was on the horizon while he put in his show of support for the LGBT community at Pride Breakfast event at the Northern Whig pub in central Belfast.
He said: “I think it’s only a matter of time although it is of course a decision for the Northern Ireland assembly to take, but I am confident that like other western European countries they will make that decision in due course.”
The Taoiseach added that he had turned up at the event “to state my support, my government’s support for equality before the law and individual freedom for all citizens no matter where they happen to reside”.
Police Service of Northern Ireland and Garda officers also joined Mr Varadkar at the event, arriving in a police Land Rover.
For the first time uniformed officers will march in the Pride parade through the city centre.
Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray said the PSNI's participation in the breakfast and parade "is about inclusion and representation".
"We represent all sections of society. Members of the LGBT community are a marginalised community in Northern Ireland," she said.
Mrs Gray added that the PSNI's presence at the events might encourage victims of hate crime to come forward and report them.
Up to 8,000 people are due to parade through Belfast city centre later.
Same-sex marriage has been one of the sticking points preventing the return of a devolved powersharing administration at Stormont, with Sinn Fein demanding the DUP stop blocking changes to the law.
The DUP, Prime Minister Theresa May's partner in government, has used a controversial Stormont voting mechanism to prevent the legalisation of same-sex marriage, despite most Assembly members supporting the move at the last vote.
The DUP rejects any suggestion it is homophobic, insisting it is protecting the "traditional" definition of marriage, and has called for tolerance of what are increasingly minority views.
It does not have enough members in the new Assembly to veto an equal marriage vote on its own, but there is no immediate prospect of the deeply divided administration being restored.
Mr Varadkar is not staying for the Pride parade because of other commitments.
A total of 8,000 people are expected to march from Custom House Square in the city centre and about 15,000 additional supporters are anticipated, said the Parades Commission, which rules on marches. Sixty bands are due to take part.
A rainbow Pride flag has been raised at a UK Government building at Stormont for the first time.
The flag was raised beside Stormont House on Friday morning to mark the Pride festival.
Stuart Andrew MP, a Tory patron of LGBT+ campaign group, will take part in the Pride march along with thousands of local demonstrators.
Additional reporting by agencies
