Prime Ministers of Britain and France to cement their relations

London, January 19: Britain PM Theresa May and French PM Emmanuel Macron are on the mission to cement the relations between the countries. Britain's departure from the European Union should not prevent a high level of cooperation with France, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday at the end of a British-French summit.

The French president and British Prime Minister Theresa May both spoke after a day of talks and negotiations during which a series of agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed covering a wide range of topics from defense to culture.

Speaking at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where the summit took place, Macron said he respected the Brexit decision by the British public but regretted it. He also said Britain could not have the same level of access to areas such as financial services once it left the EU.

May said she believed it is in the interest of both Britain and the EU to continue to have a good economic partnership with Britain.

 

"We will be looking for a deep and special partnership for the future," she said, referring to the upcoming negotiations with Brussels on a future trading relationship.

A Britain-France Defense Ministerial Council is to be created as a permanent and regular forum in which defense cooperation can be discussed by the respective defense ministers.

There was also agreement on the two countries continuing defense research. Britain and France committed to working more closely on research and innovation across sectors including artificial intelligence, space and climate change.