President Obama will visit the United Kingdom next month as part of a previously scheduled trip to Germany, just ahead of the U.K.’s referendum on whether to exit the European Union, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.
The White House has been asked daily if Obama will use the visit to press Prime Minister David Cameron to remain in the pan-European body, but has indicated he would not push the issue while there.
“Obviously, our view of how the United States benefits from a strong British ally as a part of the EU is something that is in our national interest,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. “But we also are quite respectful of the responsibility that the British people have to decide for themselves … and we obviously respect the right of British voters to decide for themselves.”
Irish Prime Minister Edna Kenny broached the topic with Obama on Tuesday, when the two met in the Oval Office as part of his annual St. Patrick’s Day visit to the U.S.
During the visit, Queen Elizabeth II will host Obama for lunch at Windsor Palace, according to the White House. He will also meet with Cameron for a private meeting and a joint press conference.
“The visit will allow the president to offer his gratitude to the British government and people for their stalwart partnership with his administration and the American people throughout his presidency,” read a statement from Earnest.
Obama was already set to attend the world’s largest industrial technology trade show in Hannover, Germany, and meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Obama has also wedged in a stop in Saudi Arabia to meet with Gulf Cooperation Council nation leaders to discuss the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State and the Syrian civil war.
The Gulf Cooperation Council compromises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
