British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on Friday evening and discussed progress in UK-EU trade negotiations, the UK government said, at a time when differences remained with the EU on a Brexit trade deal, Trend reports citing Reuters.
On the call, Johnson stressed his commitment to reach a deal that respects the sovereignty of the country, the government said in a statement here.
The leaders also reaffirmed the need to prioritise the 1998 Good Friday peace deal and avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. The deal effectively ended Northern Ireland’s 30 years of sectarian violence and created institutions for cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland.
On Wednesday, the Ireland prime minister had said that there was still time for a “good result” in trade talks.
The leaders also discussed their respective efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and measures taken ahead of Christmas.