Friday, 24 June 2016

Brexit: World reacts to Britain votes to leave the EU

World leaders, election hopefuls, global organisations and economists have their say on the Brexit victory.


As millions of Britons heeded a call by right-wing politicians to leave the European Union, other right-wing and far-right parties across the continent have jumped on the victory for a Brexit. 
Meanwhile, as some politicians and organisations celebrated the Brexit vote as a feat for sovereignty, others worried for the future of the union.
Here are some reactions: 
European Parliament President Donald Tusk made a brief statement to media, saying that the group was determined to "keep our unity at 27 nations" and not have more defections. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," he said.
US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump applauded the UK's vote to leave, saying "they took their country back, it's a great thing". He arrived at his Turnberry course in Scotland, and said, "People are angry all over the world", adding worries about borders fuelled the Brexit vote.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the UK's position in the alliance will "remain unchanged".
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban , issued similar comments regarding immigration. The result showed how the British "can keep their island".
Marine Le Pen , head of the aggressively anti-immigration, far-right National Front in France, tweeted : "Victory for freedom! As I have asked for years, it's now necessary that France and all EU countries have a referendum."
Victoire de la liberté ! Comme je le demande depuis des années, il faut maintenant le même référendum en France et dans les pays de l'UE MLP
The Dutch right-wing, anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders called on the Netherlands to hold a referendum on whether to leave the EU.
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said said the EU should agree to Britain's leaving "quickly and rationally". He added that the "European project needs much stronger support of its citizens".
Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski  is worried for the 850,000 Poles in the UK. "I can only give a sigh: so it's done. This is bad news for Europe, bad news for Poles ... The status of Poles living there will not change for now, but we don't really know how much Britain's status will be changed."
Pavel Filip, Moldova's prime minister, said the vote to leave was "a sad day for Europe".
Manfred Weber , leader of the European People's Party, the largest bloc in the EU parliament, said Britain should expect no free ride as it negotiates its departure.
"There cannot be any special treatment for the United Kingdom. The British people have expressed their wish to leave the EU. Leave means leave. The times of cherry-picking are over."
He insisted that the exit negotiations "should be concluded within two years".
Exit negotiations should be concluded within 2 years at max. There cannot be any special treatment. Leave means leave. 4/4
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission chief, said the EU will "not be bending over backwards" to help Britain in renegotiating trade deals with countries under the EU’s umbrella.
Taro Aso, Japan's minister of finance, told an emergency press briefing that Tokyo was "extremely worried" about the risks to the global economy and markets, but stood ready to respond "firmly".

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned earlier this month that a British departure would be a shock requiring quick action to avert the "disintegration" of the bloc.

"It looks like a sad day for #Europe the United Kingdom," he wrote on Twitter on Friday.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said he expects negotiations over Britain's departure from the European Union to begin quickly. "The United Kingdom has decided to go its own way. I think the economic data show this morning that it will be a very difficult way," he said.

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