London, Oct 11: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Ireland’s counterpart Leo Varadkar on Thursday agreed there is a “pathway to a possible Brexit deal” with the European Union (EU).
Varadkar said Thursday’s meeting was “positive” and “sufficient to allow negotiations to resume” in the EU, adding, “I do see a pathway towards an agreement in the coming weeks.”
Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay is scheduled on Friday to hold a meeting with the EU’s Michel Barnier.
In a joint statement, Dublin and London said: “Both continue to believe that a deal is in everybody’s interest. They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal.
“Their discussion concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent. They also discussed the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, including on Northern Ireland.”
After concluding the meeting with Johnson, Varadkar told reporters: “I think it is possible to come to an agreement to have a treaty agreed to allow the UK to leave the EU in an orderly fashion and to have that done by the end of October.”
Johnson has stated he stays “cautiously optimistic” about reaching a Brexit deal with the EU. However, on Wednesday, the EU officials blamed the UK for putting forth untested ideas, further adding the progress made towards a new agreement had been limited.
Moreover, a similar statement was expressed by Ireland prime minister on Tuesday, who suggested the process of reaching a Brexit arrangement for the UK to leave the EU ahead of the Oct 31 deadline would be “very difficult”.