Britain to pay a "very hefty" bill to leave EU: JunckerFebruary 21, 2017 - 19:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain will have to pay a "very hefty" bill to leave the European Union and negotiating a new relationship with the bloc will take years, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned Tuesday, February 21, according to AFP. Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to trigger the Brexit negotiations by the end of March following the shock referendum in June last year. "It will be a difficult negotiation that will take years for us to agree on the exit terms and on the future architecture of relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union," Juncker told the Belgian parliament. "The British must know -- and they know it already -- that it will not be at a discount or zero cost," the former Luxembourg premier said in his hour-long speech. "The British are expected to respect the commitments they made. And so the bill, to say it a bit coarsely, will be very hefty," added Juncker. European sources said Brussels could hand Britain an exit bill of up to 60 billion euros to cover commitments already made by London toward the EU budget. The European Commission, the executive that Juncker heads, has declined to provide any figure until now. "We must settle this matter, not with a heart filled with hostility but with the knowledge that the continent owes much to Britain," Juncker said, referring to Churchill's role in defeating fascism. "But we must not be naive either," he added. 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 | 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. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |