MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In a message on Facebook, Rutte said he had discussed the relations with the United Kingdom and Netherlands in a phone conversation with new UK leader Theresa May. According to Rutte, the relations between the two countries "are good and should remain good" despite the Brexit decision.
"Secondly, the Brexit vote will also affect the future cooperation between the European countries on the continent. There can be no business as usual," Rutte said in the message.
The Dutch prime minister urged the remaining EU member states to consider the direction of the bloc’s development after Brexit.
"Let us continue to focus for example on cross-border approach to terrorism and the creation of jobs on our common internal market that still needs improvement," Rutte said.
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, decided to support Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it.
