MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2023) UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will welcome the country's renewed cooperation with the European Union and set the direction for further partnership on trade, migration and support for Ukraine during his first speech to the EU parliament on Monday, the UK government has said.
"Today (Monday 3 July) the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will use a speech at the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) to promote a post-Windsor Framework future and welcome the more mature relationship the UK and EU have been able to build," the government's statement read.
Cleverly will co-chair the 11th Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in Brussels and hold bilateral meetings with Sefcovic and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to discuss trade, illegal migration and further assistance to Ukraine, the UK government added.
"The meetings are an opportunity to monitor progress on the implementation of the Windsor Framework and discuss shared UK-EU issues such as citizens' rights or tackling illegal migration," the statement read.
The top UK diplomat will also stress the importance of "continued coordinated support for Ukraine" and thank Brussels for assistance in holding the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London in June, according to the document.
In late February, the EU and the UK reached an agreement known as the Windsor Framework to resolve the outstanding issues with the previous agreement, including the checks imposed on UK goods arriving in Northern Ireland. The new framework was expected to make it possible for the goods bound for Northern Ireland to avoid customs checks, as well as introduce the Stormont Brake, a mechanism that will supposedly allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to challenge new EU single market rules.
