MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Thursday, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, decided to support Brexit.
"We consider the referendum in the United Kingdom, in which the majority of the population voted in favor of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, as a purely internal issue of that country and the European Union," the ministry said.
Moscow nonetheless followed the referendum closely because of its implications for Europe. The Brexit referendum has shed light on serious divisions within the European Union, the ministry added.
"It is already quite clear that the referendum results demonstrated serious divisions within the EU, differences of opinion on a number of fundamental issues, particularly in regard to integration in the framework of the union. Of course, much will depend on what kind of decision the British parliament and government will make following the plebiscite."
