British foreign secretary hails UK-French ties

LONDON

U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has praised his country’s relations with France and insisted they will remain “as close as possible” even after Brexit.

Johnson, meeting his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault for the first time since being appointed by new British premier Theresa May earlier this month, pledged his support following the spate of terror attacks in France.

“The U.K. stands in solidarity with France,” he said at a press conference in Paris on Thursday.

“The threats we face are the same and we use the same values to reply to it. We will continue to do so.”

Ayrault added it was important for countries not be divided because that was what Daesh was looking for.

“We must defend our democracies, our principles, and that is not incompatible with the security of our citizens,” he said.

The meeting had been anticipated by some because Ayrault had previously accused Johnson of having “lied a lot” while campaigning to leave the European Union during last month’s referendum campaign.

But Johnson said the two had had a “warm” working lunch and added: “I hope I have been clear that, while the U.K. has voted to leave the EU, we are not leaving Europe. We will want to be closer than ever to our allies, especially France, in the years to come.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Ayrault again. We have already started to develop a close, co-operative relationship and long may that continue while we face many challenges ahead, together, as friends and allies.”