No official Brexit talks in 2016
Theresa May has said the UK will not begin official negotiations on leaving the EU this year as she held talks with Germany's Angela Merkel.
Speaking in Berlin, the UK PM said securing a "sensible and orderly departure" from the EU would take time. But she insisted the UK would not "walk away" from Europe and wanted to retain the "closest economic links".
However, Merkel insisted that talks over the UK's exit from the European Union cannot begin until Article 50 is invoked.
At a joint press conference, May said the UK was in no rush to trigger the two year process of leaving the EU - telling reporters that although "this would not please everyone" it was right to hold off until the UK's "objectives were clear"
Asked how they had got on at their first meeting, in which Mrs May said they were two women and leaders who want to "get on with the job and deliver the best possible results for the people of the UK and Germany".
Merkel said she did not expect there to be any formal negotiations at this stage and it was "understandable" the UK needed a period of time to prepare.
The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it was hard to believe that it was the first time that the two women had properly met as they seemed immediately at ease in each other's company and determined to build a personal relationship based on mutual trust.
The two leaders will have a working dinner later yesterday before May has talks with France's Francois Hollande today.
Ahead of the visit - May's first overseas trip as prime minister - Downing Street announced the UK was to relinquish its upcoming six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.
The UK had been scheduled to take up the presidency of the Council of the EU - which rotates on a six-monthly basis between the 28 EU countries, giving each the opportunity to shape the agenda - in the second half of 2017. The first time that May will face all 27 other EU leaders at the same time will be at October's European Council meeting.
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