Britain's May seeks to unite first ministers over Brexit plansOctober 24, 2016 - 08:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - British Prime Minister Theresa May will on Monday, October 24 meet the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in London, where she will face calls for each region to vote on the government's Brexit plans, AFP reports. The meeting will see Britain's decision to leave the EU take centre stage, ahead of the formal negotiations with Brussels which are expected to begin next year. May will meet with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Welsh FM Carwyn Jones and Northern Irish FM Arlene Foster and her deputy Martin McGuinness. Sturgeon, leader of the secessionist Scottish National Party, has been the most vocal of the first ministers since the June 23 vote. Earlier this month she called for a fresh referendum on Scottish independence if Scotland's interests are not protected in the Brexit negotiations. While England and Wales voted to leave the EU, a majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the bloc. In a letter to May ahead of the meeting, Sturgeon called for each of the devolved parliaments to have the chance to vote on Brexit plans. "I also endorse the proposal that the proposed negotiating package should be subject to a vote in each of the four of the United Kingdomâs parliaments and assemblies," Sturgeon wrote, according to AFP. Her Welsh counterpart Jones also pushed for such a vote in a separate letter to May, in which he also said all four UK parliaments should vote on the final deal with the EU. The prime minister has said she will trigger formal exit proceedings with Brussels by the end of March, launching a two-year negotiating period. May said Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be able to participate in the plans through a new forum chaired by Brexit minister David Davis. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |