BUCHAREST, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stressed on Thursday that the government is ready to offer solutions to Romanians living in the UK regardless of the Brexit scenario.
"We hope that the UK will come up with concrete solutions regarding the next steps as soon as possible, so that its withdrawal from the European Union (EU) will affect as little as possible the citizens and the business environment," the prime minister said at a government meeting.
"We respect the vote cast on Tuesday evening in the House of Commons," she said, underling that "we believe that the withdrawal agreement provides a solid legal foundation that limits the negative consequences generated by Brexit".
According to her, the Romanian authorities have always been focusing on protecting the rights of the citizens who work and study in the UK. "Ever since the beginning of the negotiation process, we created an inter-ministerial mechanism especially for Brexit, which closely follows the way the provisions of the agreement are implemented, so that the Romanian citizens residing in the UK will not be affected."
Dancila stressed that the Bucharest authorities are prepared to offer solutions to Romanians in the UK, regardless of the scenario that will be adopted in the end for UK's withdrawal from the Union.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu told a meeting in the ministry that "there will be all the willingness to do everything we possibly can, so that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom to be an orderly withdrawal, based on some legal documents, rather than the other variant that is simply an exit from the EU without any regulation."
The Ministry for Romanians Abroad also expressed its support for the Romanian community in the UK, assuring that the authorities will try to minimize as much as possible the negative effects on their lives, in the next interval.
The British Parliament on Tuesday rejected the Brexit deal in a 432-202 vote, further complicating the country's historic exit from the EU.
Romania holds the Presidency of the EU Council during the first semester of the current year and will preside over the Brexit process. Britain's departure from the EU, slated for March 29, will be the most complicated challenge during its mandate.
The Brexit process is also a sensitive issue for Romania, as nearly 500,000 Romanian citizens reside in the UK, making them the second most common non-UK nationality.
