The European Union ambassador to the UK Joao Vale de Almeida expressed confidence on Thursday that the bloc and its former member can overcome initial post-Brexit difficulties and build a strong relationship based on their shared values
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) The European Union ambassador to the UK Joao Vale de Almeida expressed confidence on Thursday that the bloc and its former member can overcome initial post-Brexit difficulties and build a strong relationship based on their shared values.
"I am hopeful, and I do believe, that we can overcome some difficulties at the beginning of this cycle and look forward the full dimension of this relationship," de Almeida said during an online briefing with the London Foreign Press Association.
The senior diplomat, who became the first EU ambassador to the UK after Brexit was fully implemented in January, said both sides are experiencing a unique situation.
"It is the first time that a country leaves the European Union and it is the first time that we had to negotiate an agreement with an ex-member of the European Union," he stressed.
De Almeida also pointed out that while most negotiations are conducted "towards and in view of convergences", in the case of London and Brussels, both sides had to negotiate on the divergences.
The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, triggering an 11-month transition period that gave both London and Brussels time to conclude a range of agreements, including a wide-ranging free trade deal.
After months of negotiations, both parties reached a trade deal on December 24, avoiding the prospect of a no-deal Brexit with just one week to spare.
More than two months into the divorce, both sides have repeatedly clashed on issues going from the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which was inked to avoid hard border with Ireland and customs and veterinary regulations, to the COVID-19 vaccines.
De Almeida himself was also a reason for dispute after the UK refused to grant him and his staff the same full diplomatic status given to other ambassadors and announced that he would be treated instead as a representative of an international organization.
