Johnson hails France in Paris (while speaking French)
The Local - [email protected] •
28 Jul, 2016
Updated Thu 28 Jul 2016 17:05 CEST
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was in France on Thursday, and spoke (in French) about how the UK will be "as close as possible" to France post-Brexit vote.
Love him or hate him, you've got to hand it to Boris Johnson for being a UK foreign minister who can actually speak French.
At a press conference in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Thursday, Johnson spoke of how the UK and France would cooperate "as friends and allies".
Boris Johnson speaking French https://t.co/Tb5vx49gtV #Paris
— Martin Kokavec (@Martin223) July 28, 2016
The trip marked Johnson's first visit across the Channel in his new position.
"I hope I have been clear that even if the UK has voted to leave the EU, it doesn't mean that we will be leaving Europe," he told reporters.
"We wish to be as close as possible to our allies, most particularly France, throughout the forthcoming years. We have already started to develop a close and co-operative relationship and I hope it may continue while we face many challenges ahead together as friends and allies."
Johnson's counterpart in France, Jean-Marc Ayrault, criticized Johnson during the Brexit campaign for "lying a lot" to the public.
"Did you see his tactics during the [Brexit] campaign? He lied a lot to the British," Ayrault said in an interview on radio station Europe 1. "Now it's he who's up against it to defend his country."
Ayrault added: "I need a partner who is clear and reliable."
Tony Blair speaking French in a greetings video to former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Photo: azemzi/Youtube
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Love him or hate him, you've got to hand it to Boris Johnson for being a UK foreign minister who can actually speak French.
At a press conference in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Thursday, Johnson spoke of how the UK and France would cooperate "as friends and allies".
Boris Johnson speaking French https://t.co/Tb5vx49gtV #Paris
— Martin Kokavec (@Martin223) July 28, 2016
The trip marked Johnson's first visit across the Channel in his new position.
"I hope I have been clear that even if the UK has voted to leave the EU, it doesn't mean that we will be leaving Europe," he told reporters.
"We wish to be as close as possible to our allies, most particularly France, throughout the forthcoming years. We have already started to develop a close and co-operative relationship and I hope it may continue while we face many challenges ahead together as friends and allies."
Johnson's counterpart in France, Jean-Marc Ayrault, criticized Johnson during the Brexit campaign for "lying a lot" to the public.
"Did you see his tactics during the [Brexit] campaign? He lied a lot to the British," Ayrault said in an interview on radio station Europe 1. "Now it's he who's up against it to defend his country."
Ayrault added: "I need a partner who is clear and reliable."
Tony Blair speaking French in a greetings video to former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Photo: azemzi/Youtube
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