EU foreign ministers to discuss Nice attack and abortive coup in Turkey

Making his debut on the international stage,  UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson said the EU needed a “co-ordinated response” to terrorism in the light of the recent Nice attack.

He also said he wanted to “see restraint and moderation on all sides” in Turkey following the attempted coup.

Johnson, who met fellow EU foreign ministers for talks, said that the UK’s exit from the EU did not mean it would be leaving Europe or “abandoning” its friends.

Foreign ministers will discuss the Nice attack and the abortive coup in Turkey, but have stressed there will be no formal discussions about Britain’s EU exit. The meeting will be attended by US secretary of state John Kerry; the first time such an invitation had been issued.

Johnson’s journey to the talks – which will also be attended by US secretary of state John Kerry – was delayed after his plane had to make an emergency landing.

It meant the newly-appointed cabinet member was late for an informal dinner with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Sunday evening.

Ahead of the meeting, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the UK should start the formal process of leaving the EU as soon as possible to prevent Europe “falling into uncertainty”.

On my way to #Brussels. Looking forward to meeting @FedericaMog this evening & my #EU counterparts at tomorrow's Foreign Affairs Council

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 17, 2016

He said he had a “frank but useful conversation” over the weekend with Johnson, and that he would speak to him at Monday’s meeting “with the biggest sincerity and frankness”.

“We want to avoid Europe falling into uncertainty. The sooner the UK start their negotiations with the rest of the EU, the better,” he said.

Ayrault also said France continued to have a good working relationship with Britain.

“France and the UK still have an important bilateral relation, especially on matters of defence and migration, such as the Touquet agreement for Calais,” he added.

The meeting comes after new Brexit Secretary David Davis said EU migrants who come to the UK as a departure date nears may not be given the right to stay.

He said there might have to be a cut-off point if there were a “surge” in new arrivals but any steps must be compatible with EU law.