The British Queen arrived at the Stormont Building in Belfast on Tuesday to meet members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Northern Ireland's First Minister David Trimble and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan welcomed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to the assembly on Tuesday in her final engagement of the first day of her Jubilee visit to the province.
In a short speech delivered in the Assembly's Great Hall, the Queen praised the Northern Ireland people's "indomintable spirit".
It was the Queen's first visit to Stormont since 1953, when she came to parliament buildings shortly after her coronation.
This assembly can demonstrate that it is possible to build trust and in doing so continue the building of a new Northern Ireland
"Here in the assembly you have a historic opportunity to bring the administration of Northern Ireland closer to the people whom you serve," she said.
"This assembly, together with the other institutions governing relations with the rest of the United Kingdom and Ireland, can meet the aspirations both of those who are proud to be British and those who feel a strong sense of Irish identity," she added.
"By working together, this assembly can demonstrate that it is possible to build trust and in doing so continue the building of a new Northern Ireland," she said.
Shortly before the Royal couple arrived at Stormont they attended separate events at Hillsborough Castle in County Down.
The Queen presented charters conferring city status to Lisburn and Newry, while Prince Phillip will attended a garden party and presented 100 Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Earlier, the Queen visited the site of a terrorist bomb which killed 29 people in Northern Ireland.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2002)
