Cleverly hails ‘close and friendly’ UK-EU ties after Brexit in landmark Brussels speech
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James Cleverly hailed the “close and friendly” cooperation between London and Brussels in a speech to EU parliamentarians.
The foreign secretary said the “level of trust” between him and European Commission diplomat Maros Sefcovic was part of the reason the Windsor Framework was secured.
He accepted that it had taken “slightly longer” than many would have liked to reach the agreement but added: “We have to recognise that we will not agree on everything, but in mature relationships we can deal with differences while making the most of areas where we agree.”
“I’d like to say thanks for the spirit of friendship and cooperation that (Sefcovic) brought into all our meetings and the level of trust that I was able to invest in our relationship I think is part of the reason we got the Windsor Framework over the line,” he said.
“We have seen real progress and I am committed to maintaining that positive trajectory.”
The UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly speech, created as part of the post-Brexit trade deal, comes as Rishi Sunak’s government seeks better relations with the bloc.
‘Mature relationship’
Cleverly is also expected to stress the importance of continued support for Ukraine as part of the visit.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in London last month, as part of the UK-hosted Ukraine Recovery Conference.
Sunak earlier this year brokered the Windsor Framework deal with the EU, designed to address concerns over the operation of post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland.
While the deal did not lead to the return of powersharing at Stormont, which the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continues to boycott, it did usher in hopes of a new era for UK-EU ties.
Cleverly is also holding talks with Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, ahead of a crunch summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
It comes as Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is expected to be in Paris for meetings with the French foreign and transport ministers.
By Dominic McGrath, PA Political Staff