Italian foreign minister Angelino
Alfano said Wednesday that serious negotiations must be held on
Great Britain's leaving of the European Union, but that "the
approach must not be to punish London".
Prime Minister Theresa May officially begins the process on
Wednesday.
"We want to show that it did not achieve a good deal, but it
must be clear that they are leaving the EU and not Europe,"
Alfano told RTL radio.
"We are allies in NATO, for example, and there are crucial
issues such as security and defence, on which London continues
to be a reliable ally for us." Alfano noted that he would be
meeting with UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs Boris Johnson during the day, and that "I will be
reiterating how important it is that the right of the hundreds
of thousands of Italians that live in London be safeguarded, and
that they are able to benefit from the same labor rights as are
ensured to British citizens working in European countries."
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