UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to visit Northern Ireland on Thursday to talk up the strength of union between Britain's constituent nations and promise a strong rebound from the coronavirus crisis.

This will be his first visit to Northern Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Johnson wants to firm up ties badly strained by several years of acrimonious Brexit negotiations.

"As the country begins to get back on its feet in the wake of coronavirus, we cannot simply strive to rebuild, but we must commit to building back stronger than ever," he said in a statement.

His message echoes one he previously made on a similar trip to Scotland, where polls show support for independence now outstrips support for remaining part of the union.

During his Northern Ireland visit, Johnson will also meet Ireland's new prime minister Micheal Martin for the first time since the formation of a new Irish coalition government in June. 

Among the issues the two leaders are slated to discuss include their respective experiences of managing the virus and dealing with its economic and societal impact.

Northern Ireland's views on leaving the United Kingdom are still largely split along sectarian lines with many Catholics favoring the creation of a united Ireland while pro-British Protestants favor the status quo.

The dispute fueled three decades of bloodshed that largely ended with a 1998 peace deal.

Northern Ireland voted 56 to 44 percent to remain in the European Union in a 2016 Brexit referendum, when the United Kingdom as a whole voted 52 to 48 to leave.

That angered Irish nationalists, who feared they would be cut off from friends and relatives in the Republic of Ireland, one of the EU's most enthusiastic members – prompting some to call for a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom.

The subsequent Brexit negotiations in turn angered pro-British unionists who were outraged at Johnson's decision to agree a Brexit deal that will see EU customs rates and regulations remain in place Northern Ireland while the rest of Britain goes its own way.

(With input from Reuters)