"Our ultimate objective is to ensure that the upcoming negotiations lead to the closest possible trading relationship between the UK and the EU — something that would be of advantage to us all," Enda said in a statement.
Enda added that he agreed with UK Prime Minister Theresa May on the importance of keeping the current border situation on the Island after Brexit.
"The retention of an open border is critical…. Neither I, nor the Prime Minister, desire to limit the freedom of people on both sides of the Irish sea to trade, live, work and travel freely across these islands. Therefore we have agreed that the benefits of the Common Travel Area be preserved," Enda said.
Enda said that Brexit represents the biggest economic and political challenge facing Ireland for the last 50 years, and his government is working on introducing measures that would soften the impact of Brexit on the Irish economy and the peace process with Northern Ireland.
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.
