Statements by Prime Minister of United Kingdom and President of the Government

London

Ms. May.- It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to number 10, Downing Street and to receive you here at such a special time.

The United Kingdom and Spain are united by very strong and extensive ties, as well as by fruitful trade relations that amount to 43 billion pounds sterling a year. We are both countries that have been hard hit by terrorism attacks that are as brutal as they are cowardly, and we share our common determination to defeat terrorism and to defend international security.

I would also like to reiterate my support for the President of the Government of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, in relation to the issue of Catalonia. It is fundamental for the rule of law to prevail and for the Spanish Constitution to be respected.

Relations between the United Kingdom and Spain, it goes without saying, date back to long before our accession to the European Union, and will last far beyond our withdrawal from the EU.

As regards the negotiations, we have been working hard and major progress has been made, although there are still a couple of issues pending to be resolved. During the course of the week, we will continue with our talks with a view to the European Council meeting in December. Everything we are doing in our negotiations will be to the benefit of the interests of everyone in the United Kingdom: both Spaniards that are here and British citizens who are in Spain.

President of the Government.- A very good day to you all and thank you very much, Theresa, for this invitation. It is a great pleasure for me to be here.

Indeed, relations between the United Kingdom and Spain are not relations that began merely as a result of our membership of the European Union, they go back a great deal further and I am convinced they will continue into the future.

I believe that bilateral relations are enjoying a wonderful period. The United Kingdom is the leading destination for Spanish investments at this time and the fourth ranked trading partner while, in turn, the United Kingdom is the second ranked investor in Spain.

The most important aspect is the relationships between people. 18 million British tourists visit Spain each year and I would encourage them to continue coming to our country, and half a million British citizens live in our country while 250,000 Spaniards reside in the United Kingdom. That is why both the British Government and the Spanish Government have been very active in defending the rights of individuals in these negotiations.

Lastly, I wish to mention three issues we have just heard mentioned.

The issue of terrorism is a fundamental priority, both for the United Kingdom and for Spain. We have been very hard hit, but we are going to win this fight and to ensure this it is fundamental that, as indeed we have been doing, our intelligence services work ever more closely together.

Secondly, I want to thank the Prime Minister for her support for the people and the Government of Spain in the conflict we have endured recently in Catalonia. Without respect for the rule of law and for the laws of a country, there is no democracy, but rather a return to the worst times past in the history of humanity.

I would like to make a last comment about the Brexit negotiations. These negotiations are not easy for anyone and I want the whole of public opinion to have that very clear. I believe that the British Government and the Prime Minister are making a great effort. The speech she gave in Florence not long ago is very important and I am absolutely convinced that we will start the second stage of negotiations as soon as possible. Of course, what Spain wants is that when these negotiations are over we are able to preserve the wonderful relations between the United Kingdom and my country.

Thank you very much.

Non official translation