Brexit withdrawal agreement

The United Kingdom and the European Union will begin negotiations on their future trade relations on March 3, according to the Guardian.

According to the publication, the negotiating groups, which will continue to be led by David Frost of the British side and Michel Barnier of the European Union, have a difficult task of finalizing the discussions by December 31st this year.

The House of Commons of the British Parliament approved the bill for the country's exit from the European Union. 358 MPs voted in favour of the law involving the EU-agreed deal on the terms of the divorce. 234 voted against.

Yesterday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that he was inclined to give up the Irish border security mechanism (backstop) if all targets were met, BTA reported.

While the European Union and Britain wrestle over the "Irish backstop" issue in their stalled Brexit agreement, a similar problem is taxing another island at the other end of the continent - Cyprus.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will on Tuesday ask her Conservative lawmakers to send a message to Brussels that they would support her Brexit deal if a plan to avoid a hard border in Ireland is replaced, writes Reuters.