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Slovak EU presidency will not deal with Brexit: PM

Xinhua, July 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The notification of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty won't take place this year, therefore, the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union(EU) won't deal with Brexit, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Thursday after meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May here.

"I appreciate that Britain has committed itself to remaining a fully-fledged EU member with all its rights and obligations until that time," stressed Fico, adding that the time before the article is triggered should be spent effectively.

"Britain should work on the vision that would define its relations with the EU and the remaining 27 EU-member states should use the time left to draft the vision of the EU after Brexit. If they fail, it could contribute to further destabilization and de-fragmentation of the system," pointed out Fico.

Fico also called on May to take special care of roughly 90,000 Slovaks working in Britain.

May, who is on her first visit to Slovakia since becoming British Prime Minister on July 13, promised to try to protect rights of Slovaks in Britain in the future. However, she demands reciprocity on the issue.

At the same time, May pointed out that Britons don't support full freedom of movement. Therefore they have to find solutions that will enable a certain form of control of movement. She hoped negotiations with the EU will be smooth and will enable an easy departure of Britain from the EU.

"It's important to stress that although the United Kingdom is leaving the EU, it's not leaving Europe nor the world. We remain a country that is looking around itself and we want to remain a strong voice and a player on the global scene," added May. Enditem