UK Starts Formal Talks On Post-Brexit Relations With EFTA Members - Raab

UK Starts Formal Talks on Post-Brexit Relations With EFTA Members - Raab

The United Kingdom has officially launched talks on the future of relations with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland following its exit from the European Union, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Monday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) The United Kingdom has officially launched talks on the future of relations with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland following its exit from the European Union, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Monday.

"We've started formal negotiations on our future relationships with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Trade with these important partners is worth �66bn [$83.5 billion] and we're committed to build on the progress in talks to strengthen these partnerships," Raab tweeted.

The four countries in question belong to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which provides them with access to the European single market, but keeps them off the bloc's customs union.

The UK pulled out of the European Union on January 31, completing a process triggered by the Brexit referendum in June 2016. The country has until December 31 to renegotiate a range of agreements both with the bloc and other partners to ensure beneficial trade and cooperation after the transition period ends.