 "EU's Michel Barnier pledges full support for Ireland's Brexit talks")
The European Union's Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier has pledged the 27-member bloc's full support for Ireland's negotiations.
"Today (Thursday), in front of these two houses, I want to reassure the Irish people: in this negotiation Ireland's interest will be the Union's interest," said Barnier, while delivering a speech to a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses of Irish parliament.
"We are in this negotiation together and a united EU will be here for you," he said.
Because of its historical, geographical and economic ties with the UK, Ireland is in a unique position, Xinhua news agency reported.
"With the depreciation of the sterling, Brexit is already having an impact on the value of Irish exports to the UK. In particular, the agri-food sector," he said.
"If the conditions are right, a close partnership with the UK is in everybody's interest. And in Ireland's interest in particular," he added.
More From This Section
Barnier said the UK has been a member of the EU for 44 years and that it should remain a close partner with the bloc.
At a summit held in Brussels on April 29, the leaders of the 27 remaining EU countries adopted unanimously the Brexit guidelines.
According to the guidelines, the EU, throughout the negotiations, will maintain unity and act as one with the aim of reaching a result that is "fair and equitable for all member states and in the interest of its citizens".
The two year timeframe of Brexit negotiations ends on March 29, 2019.