Macron to meet Britain's Johnson to discuss post-Brexit ties: French minister

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron will receive Britain's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson here soon to discuss the relationship between the two countries after Brexit, French European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin said on Friday.

While stressing there was no question of renegotiating the Brexit deal, de Montchalin told state-run France 2 television that Britain will "remain a partner after the Brexit".

The French minister said the divorce deal agreed between former British Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Union (EU), which Britain's parliament had rejected three times, showed how the separation should be carried out.

"What I would like to do in the coming weeks is that we can go through this stage and negotiate, calmly ... how to work afterwards. What is still to negotiate is the future relationship," the minister said.

In his first speech as prime minister, Johnson on Wednesday pledged to bring Britain out of the EU by Oct 31, saying "no ifs, no buts". He warned that there would be a hard Brexit if the EU refused to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement.