MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Merkel said Friday she was ready for the upcoming talks with the United Kingdom on the EU exit and expected London to stick to the agreed schedule.
"We are ready for Brexit negotiations… These talks with the UK will begin in the coming days," she said at a joint press conference with President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Asked whether UK-EU talks on the terms of Britain’s departure could be delayed after Prime Minister Theresa May’s party suffered a defeat in Thursday’s snap election, Merkel said nothing suggested that.
"We’ve agreed the date [for talks], and from what I’ve heard from the prime minister [May] they will stick to their negotiating plan. We want to hold speedy talks," she told reporters.
May called a general election in April to increase the Conservative majority in parliament in order to strengthen her hand in Brexit talks, due on June 19. The election led to a hung parliament after the Tories won 318 seats, down from 330 they got in 2015.
