UK PM Theresa May Committed to Close Ties With Ireland After Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she remained committed to Britain’s closer ties with Ireland, after a meeting with her Irish counterpart Enda Kenny on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The two leaders met in London to discuss the way forward in relations between their countries after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union in June. The Republic of Ireland is an EU member.

"It is testament to the importance of the relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland that Enda is amongst the first leaders that I have met since I took office," May said. "I want to underline my personal commitment to nurturing this relationship."

May, who took up the premiership almost two weeks ago, said Britain's relationship with Ireland went from strength to strength in recent years, bringing them both over $1 billion a week in trade revenues and supporting 400,000 jobs across the islands.

She reiterated that the countries would keep their arrangements on a common travel area, work together to maintain peace in Northern Ireland and hold annual bilateral summits to strengthen their cooperation.