The Government will continue to engage with the British Government and all the parties in Northern Ireland to advance all aspects of the Belfast Agreement, the Taoiseach has said.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Centre for Cross Border Studies at St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, Dublin, this evening, Mr Ahern said everyone knew that these were difficult times for the peace process.
"Trust and confidence have been damaged and will take time to heal," he said.
"Through the Good Friday Agreement itself, Weston Park, the Joint Declaration and the Comprehensive Agreement of last December, there is ample context for everyone to move forward. The issues are now clear. What needs to be done is clear."
Mr Ahern added: "For our part, the Government will continue to engage with the British Government and all the parties to advance all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement.
"We will fully discharge our responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Agreement. The implementation of the Agreement is the will of the people of this island, North and South.
"We have come a long way and we have made a new beginning. We will continue to work to build a better future for everybody."
Mr Ahern said the difficult journey undertaken by North/South relations in the 20 thcentury was well captured by a number of contributors to the Centre for Cross Border Studies Booklet launched today.
He wondered "who could disagree" with the former Irish Timeseditor Conor Brady's characterisation of those relations in the 50s as "the great, icy silence".
"Measured against that backcloth, what has happened to North/South relations in the almost seven years since the Good Friday Agreement has been remarkable," Mr Ahern said.
He said the political context had been transformed.
"The principles of consent, partnership, equality and mutual respect enshrined in the Agreement are no the compass points of a new beginning in relationships on this island."
The Taoiseach said he was "particularly excited" about the prospects for an island economy.
"If the past was about standing apart economically, the future must be about pooling our resources and brainpower and ensuring a more cohesive approach to common challenges."
"Such an approach threatens nobody and benefits everybody. And we have the good start of recent years, and the fine work of new organisations such as InterTradeIreland and Tourism Ireland, to build on as a foundation.
"That is why the Government looks forward to working intensively over the coming months to ensure that the momentum of North/South cooperation to mutual benefit - and I stress that it must continue to pass that test - is maintained and developed."
Commending the role of the Centre for Cross Border Studies, Mr Ahern said it was essential that North/South cooperation was not the exclusive preserve of the politicians or the public sector.