By Mehmet Solmaz
BIRMINGHAM (AA) - The issue of illegal migrant crossings on the English Channel is “a top priority” for the UK government, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Monday.
His remarks came at the EU-UK Forum, a virtual annual conference focused on the 2021 EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Windsor Framework, a recently signed agreement that solved the disagreements on trade concerning Northern Ireland.
Cleverly said the war in Ukraine has brought all sides in Europe together. “We have worked shoulder to shoulder to assist our Ukrainian friends and to guarantee European security in a new and more dangerous landscape. The energy crisis is far from over. And even if we've weathered the first phase well through our close cooperation, we continue to face strong economic headwinds.”
For the top British diplomat, migration is a top priority. “Close coordination and dialogue have helped us clamp down on illegal migration and on the gangs that apply this criminal trade. But I know we can go further.”
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic agreed with Cleverly on the war in Ukraine. “Russia's brutal and unlawful invasion of Ukraine has reminded the EU and the UK that we remain close and like-minded allies,” he said.
Sefcovic said the close cooperation had led the sides to reach an agreement on Northern Ireland. “This time last year, we were still searching for solutions to the concrete problems experienced on the ground in Northern Ireland and the implementation of the protocol.”
He says the Windsor Framework preserves the integrity of both the EU's single market and Northern Ireland's integral part in the United Kingdom's internal market. “And crucially, it will maintain the foundations of peace by avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.”
According to Sefcovic, the EU and the UK are jointly committed to exploiting the full potential of the trade agreement despite the difficulties it causes to businesses after the departure of the UK from the EU’s single market.