German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev hold a joint press conference in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, April 4, 2019. The two presidents on Thursday expressed worries over Brexit. It was pity that the British people have decided to leave the European Union (EU), and it was impossible to anticipate how this process would continue in the coming days and weeks, Steinmeier said at the joint press conference after bilateral talks. (Xinhua/Zhan Xiaoyi)
SOFIA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier here on Thursday expressed worries over Brexit.
It was pity that the British people have decided to leave the European Union (EU), and it was impossible to anticipate how this process would continue in the coming days and weeks, Steinmeier said at a joint press conference after bilateral talks.
Unregulated Brexit would be the worst option, Steinmeier said, adding that it would be detrimental for Britain, and everyone should be aware that its negative consequences would affect the whole continent.
"That is why I still hope that the UK will find an acceptable position," Steinmeier said.
Regardless of the decisions in Britain and reactions in Brussels, it was important not to block forthcoming European ideas and plans, such as European Parliament election and the European budget and financial plan, Steinmeier said.
Radev said, "It is very important to have a common European position on Brexit and not to allow Brexit to block, as it has been happening for a long time, Europe's ability to make timely, important and unified decisions."
The emerging crisis with Brexit had to be resolved; otherwise, it would be harder for Europe to make and defend such decisions, Radev said.
"I also think that we are currently focusing on Brexit's mechanisms. However, it is very important for Europe to answer the question of why there are states that want to leave the EU, and focus our efforts there," Radev said.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation. They were very pleased to find that Germany is Bulgaria's largest economic and trade partner, and last year the trade turnover exceeded 8 billion euros (8.99 billion U.S. dollars), Radev said.
This was a significant amount for his country, it has been growing steadily over the years, and "we believe this trend will continue," Radev said.
