Ireland wants 'closest possible' ties with UK after Brexit

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Ireland wants to hold onto the "closest possible relationship" with Britain after its neighbor leaves the European Union, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Wednesday in London.

The only EU member to have a land border with the UK, Ireland took center stage in the first round of Brexit negotiations last year. But despite the tough talks, Coveney said Dublin wanted to maintain "the closest possible relationship with our closest neighbor and friend."

"I have said many times that Ireland would be Britain's closest friend in phase two of those negotiations – even though we were responsible for a little bit of stress in the context of trying to move on to phase two," the foreign minister said at London's Chatham House think tank.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (L) greets Ireland's Foreign and Trade Minister Simon Coveney at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, UK, January 31, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Dublin has sought assurances that Britain's departure from the EU will not see the imposition of a hard border with Northern Ireland, after a 1998 peace accord brought with it an open frontier between the two countries.

Along with citizens' rights and the Brexit bill, agreement on the border issue was reached between Britain and Brussels in December which will allow the two sides to move on to talks on a transitional period.

While in London, Coveney met his British counterpart Boris Johnson whose office said the pair discussed "the importance of maintaining our regular engagement through, and beyond, the UK's exit from the EU."

"The two ministers also expressed their mutual desire to reach a deal on the UK's exit from the EU that works for everyone, as well as a shared commitment to avoiding a hard border," the British foreign ministry said in a statement.

Traffic passes a Brexit Border poster on the Dublin road Co Armagh border, between Newry in Northern Ireland and Dundalk in the Irish Republic, December 1, 2017, Ireland. /VCG Photo

During his Chatham House speech Coveney warned the British government's decision to leave the European single market and customs union would have a negative impact.

"The British economy is integrated wholly into it, and gains from access to it to a degree that will be impossible to replicate from future UK-only trade deals with third countries," he said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is currently on a visit to China, part of her government's broader strategy to seek deeper trade ties with countries beyond Europe's borders.

Source(s): AFP