In a shock move, new Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday appointed the eccentric former London mayor, known for his gaffes and buffoonery, as the top diplomat to lead the country out of the EU.
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Former London mayor Johnson and Mogherini will “meet Sunday evening for an initial contact”, her spokeswoman Catherine Ray said, before a full meeting of all 28 European Union foreign ministers on Monday.
The other side – inspiration for Boris Johnson, perhaps? Johnson replaced Philip Hammond on this post, who was in turn appointed as UK Chancellor.
The 13th British Prime Minister said that the decisions of her administration would be driven by the interests of both “the privileged few” and voters struggling with “the pressures of modern life”. The campaign culminated in a vote for “Brexit’ on June 23”.
US State Secretary John Kerry congratulated Boris Johnson on Thursday on his appointment as United Kingdom foreign secretary, a spokesman for the US State Department said Thursday.
Monday’s meeting, which is scheduled to cover a range of issues from violence in South Sudan to Europe’s relationship with China, will also be attended in part by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who will discuss with foreign ministers policies on Ukraine and the Middle East.
Mr Johnson said: “It is very important that people should realise when you leave Heathrow, when you leave Dover, a British citizen is basically the responsibility of the Foreign Office, our diplomacy is run by the Foreign Office”.
The Guardian also quoted one unnamed European Union diplomat who said, “It is important to have someone in place who allows for calm and serene negotiations”.
The former London mayor has been progressive in speaking about the West’s relations with Russian Federation, pleading with the world to work together in defeating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
“But I think it’s a huge opportunity”. He was a key campaigner for Britain to leave the EU.
He said he had given a speech to 700 staff at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in Whitehall, setting out what his priorities would be.
Asked Thursday what he expected of working with Johnson, given such comments, Schaeuble said “we in Germany have had good experience with putting comments made during a campaign into the file for election campaigns, and forgetting them on the day after the democratic decision has been made”. “Standing room only. 1000s overseas listened in”, he wrote.
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Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond described Mr Johnson as a “court jester”.
