Merkel: Swiss-EU talks should be separate from Brexit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that European Union talks with Switzerland on the free movement of people should not be linked in any way to the negotiations with Great Britain over its exit from the EU.
“If I tried to put myself in the shoes of a Swiss citizen, I wouldn’t be pleased if it was suddenly cast in a new light because of another decision in another country,” Merkel told a news conference in Berlin alongside Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann.
“That’s why we should conduct these talks with Switzerland as if the Great Britain issue never existed. I can only say that the German position hasn’t changed with Great Britain’s decision. These are two completely different issues.”