24 October 2017•Update: 24 October 2017
By Hajer M'tiri
PARIS
The U.K. must find concrete solutions to the Irish border issue in the wake of Brexit, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday after talks with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Paris.
The talks are the first bilateral meeting between the pair, who both came to power earlier this year. The two leaders said they discussed the future of EU and bilateral relations between the two countries.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Varadkar, Macron said: "It’s up to the U.K. to come up with concrete proposals to minimize the impact of Brexit on the British/Irish border."
"And it is not just an Irish matter, it concerns the EU as a whole and France as well," he added.
Macron said both leaders agreed on the necessity of advancing in a "united" method when carrying on with Brexit negotiations.
The French leader said his country will be a closer EU member to Ireland after Brexit "by reinforcing the ongoing cooperation in different fields".
"We share the same desire to move Europe forward: on the banking union, asylum and immigration policy reforms, defense policy and institutional reforms for our common interest," Macron said.
Varadkar said Brexit presents “huge challenges” for his country.
He said it was "essential" for Ireland to preserve the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal and protect the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the U.K. after Brexit and “to ensure the no return to physical borders".
The French president said he will be visit Dublin next year, without giving a precise date.
