Theresa May 'committed to security of Europe' as she meets Merkel
The Prime Minister is reassuring EU leaders the UK will remain "unconditionally committed" to Europe's security after Brexit.
Friday 29 September 2017 12:10, UK
Theresa May has held a key Brexit-focused meeting with freshly re-elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she pledged Britain's commitment to European security.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of a European Union summit in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Friday.
It is the first face-to-face meeting between Mrs May and the German Chancellor, a key leader in the EU hierarchy, since Mrs May's speech in Florence in which she outlined her vision for Brexit.
Angela Merkel was re-elected as the German leader last weekend but with a weakened political grip.
She now has many months of coalition building before she can form a government in Germany.
Revealing details of the Prime Minister's meeting with Ms Merkel, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister reiterated her commitment to the UK being the strongest friend and partner to the EU after we leave."
Mrs May and Ms Merkel also discussed the Iran nuclear deal alongside other Brexit matters.
The EU summit, held in Estonia because it holds the current EU rotating presidency, is billed as a "digital summit".
It is designed to focus attention on innovation, research and investment to help foster a digital revolution.
However, from a British perspective, Brexit is the focus.
The Prime Minister addressed some of the 800 British troops serving with the NATO mission in Estonia earlier on Friday, where she insisted the UK will remain "unconditionally committed to maintaining Europe's security" after Brexit.
The deployment was made in April in order to help provide a deterrence against what NATO and western Governments perceive as increased Russian assertiveness.
Mrs May declared they stood ready to defend European nations from any possible threat from Russia, a country she accused of "deliberately" violating the "rules-based international order that we have worked so hard to create".
The Prime Minister said: "Russia's continued aggression represents a threat to our friends here in Estonia, as well as in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, and our response must be clear and unequivocal.
"That is why this mission that you are carrying out is so important.
"By stepping up NATO's deterrence and defence posture, you are showing that we are equipped to respond to any threat we face, you are showing that we are ready to do so."
Insisting the UK "will always stand with our allies", the Prime Minister added: "While we are leaving the EU, as I have said many times, we are not leaving Europe.
"So the UK is unconditionally committed to maintaining Europe's security.
"We will continue to offer aid and assistance to EU member states that are the victim of armed aggression, terrorism and natural or man-made disasters."
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The Brexit/security question has come under significant scrutiny over the past few months with some accusing Mrs May of using defence and security as a bargaining chip in the Brexit negotiations.
In her letter triggering Article 50 - the UK's formal intention to leave the EU - Mrs May seemed explicit that security co-operation was conditional on a deal.
In the March letter she wrote: "In security terms, a failure to reach agreement would mean our co-operation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened."
Since then, the British tone has softened, with the Prime Minister offering the "unconditionally committed" promise in her Florence speech last week.
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The 28 EU leaders convened for a working dinner on Thursday night hosted by EU Council President Donald Tusk prior to the summit.
Mrs May sat with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa on her left and Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on her right.
Brexit is bound to have been discussed, and for PM Szydlo two of the three divorce issues - citizen's rights and the financial settlement - are key issues.
Poland is concerned about the fate of many hundreds of thousands of its citizens who live in the UK and who are currently unsure about their future.
On the financial settlement, Poland is one of a number of Eastern European countries who stand to lose out if Britain leaves a hole in the EU budget.
On Wednesday the fourth round of negotiations concluded in Brussels with both sides claiming some progress.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier hailed a "new dynamic" to negotiations following Mrs May's speech in Florence, but warned it could be .
The terms of reference by which the UK can leave the EU state that "sufficient progress" must be made on three key divorce issues - the financial settlement, citizen's rights and the Irish border question - before talks can proceed to phase two - negotiation on the transitional deal and future relationship.
The UK side is increasingly frustrated by the demand, arguing key elements of all three of the divorce issues can only be discussed in the context of the future relationship.
Ultimately, the determination of "sufficient progress" will be made at a political level by EU leaders, on the advice from the negotiators.
And so top level political engagement between Mrs May and her EU counterparts provides the perfect forum for understanding, dialogue and pressure.