'Article 50 Has to Be Triggered to My Mind' - Welsh First Minister

The first minister of Wales said he was not going to stand in the way of people who had voted to leave the European Union.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said on Monday he would not oppose triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty as the majority of Welsh people voted for Brexit.

"Article 50 has to be triggered to my mind. The people of Wales voted to leave the EU. I’m not going to stand in the way of that. It’s what happens afterwards that’s important," Jones said, as quoted by The Guardian.

He pointed out that Wales wanted to play an important role in the coming negotiations on Brexit.

"There is a lot of work to do. We want to play a full part in the process. It’s all about jobs at the end of the day, making sure we protect jobs and our economy," Jones said.

In June 2016, UK citizens voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the country would trigger the Article 50 of the EU Lisbon Treaty by the end of March 2017.

Unlike Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, Wales supported Brexit with over 52 percent of Welsh voters having voted for leaving the European Union.