EU, Britain to kick off Brexit talks on June 19

BRUSSELS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and Britain will kick off the negotiations of Britain's exit of the bloc on June 19, the two sides announced in a joint statement on Thursday.

"Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator, and David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, agreed today to launch Article 50 negotiations on Monday, June 19," read the joint statement issued by the European Commission and Britain's Department for Exiting the European Union.

The announcement ended guesswork as to a possible postponement of the Brexit talks in the wake of British Prime Minister's bungled snap election.