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Mr Gabriel, also Angela Merkel’s Vice Chancellor, then said Ms May must give "certainty" that the UK will settle its Brexit divorce bill before talks begin on any future trade deal between Britain and Europe.
As Mr Gabriel prepares to meet Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, he also dealt a further blow to the Prime Minister’s attempts to tie security to trade talks, saying the fight against terrorism is a "necessity" and not a "political choice".
He also underlined "concerns" about the climate faced by foreigners in the UK amid heightened concerns over hate crime, in particular following a serious assault that left an asylum seeker with a fractured skull. [...]
"We are as keen as the UK is to complete both agreements as soon as possible," he said.
"First, we have to get things right on the orderly withdrawal, then we will want to talk as soon as possible about our future relationship and get as far as we can within the next two years.
"However, I don’t want to speculate on time frames at a time when negotiations have not even started yet. Both sides must recognise that an agreement on a wide-ranging partnership will be quite a laborious endeavour." [...]
"We want to minimise...uncertainties as soon as possible. This is why I believe the UK and the EU should strive to secure an orderly withdrawal as their first order of business. It’s also why we share the position that has been laid out by President Tusk in the guidelines.”
He then added: "We’ll also have to work together towards achieving certainty that the UK will honour its financial obligations towards the EU.” [...]
"The nature of these threats makes security cooperation more of a necessity than a matter of political choice. No citizen in the EU or the UK would accept a negative impact on security due to a reduced level of cooperation after Brexit. That’s why I believe it’s in our shared interest to maintain close security cooperation."
Mr Gabriel highlighted guaranteeing the rights of both EU and UK citizens who have built up a life abroad, as another priority. [...]
Full interview on The Independent